Sleeping with the enemy?
by MrsSpookyLiz
Summary: Mulder has a girlfriend. That's right. Scully hates her and is immediately protective and suspicious, but should she be? Or is she being irrational? Is this woman really who she says she is? Things soon turn tragic... what will happen to Mulder and Scully? Are they in danger? / Set loosely around season five and six / Shipper/Angst/Action/Thriller/Romance/Drama/Horror / COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Sleeping with the… enemy?

 _An X-Files fanfic by MrsSpookyLiz  
_

 _(This fic could be based in any of the seasons before season 7 - I am imagining it is round about the season 5 or season 6 era)_

 _Disclaimer - As much as I would like to, I do not own The X-Files. Fox and Chris Carter do._

* * *

The thought of him kissing her made her turn over in her bed and punch the pillows down angrily.

She was restless, unable to sleep as the rain poured down on the windows of her apartment. She had only had a few hours sleep, with work early in the morning. Opening one eye she checked the time on her bedside clock with a scowl, her heart beating fast as the images of them kissing in the parking lot stayed imprinted on her brain.

2.03am.

 _Great._

With a frustrated sigh, Dana Scully pulled back the covers and stomped into the kitchen, blinding herself momentarily as she switched on the light. She walked over to the cupboard and took out a glass and poured herself some water.

 _Why was this bothering her so much?_ But then she scoffed at herself and told herself to stop being so stupid.

She knew why.

Because she loved Mulder, _but she would never admit it…_

* * *

Fox Mulder's Apartment - 6.05am

Her long soft arms came around his waist and he softened, relaxing to her touch.

She kissed him on the back of the neck and hugged him closer, enjoying the familiar feeling of her body pressed up against his. Mulder let out a schoolboy laugh, his cheeks flaring with slight embarrassment. He was not used to this, it had been a long time since he had had a girlfriend.

"Good morning." Mulder said with a smile.

"Do you have to leave so early? The bed is still warm." Sophie asked.

"Oh I would love to stay, but I have important work to do." He said, reaching up to his tie and adjusting it slightly. He was dressed and ready and Scully would be annoyed at him if he was late. He could tell by her icy reception of Sophie from the night before that she wouldn't be in the best of moods.

 _Why did she always feel so threatened by other women in his life?_

"Chasing flying saucers?" Sophie asked with a grin, making Mulder turn to her in slight annoyance, but the sight of her pretty face made him soften and he placed his hands on her shoulders. He was amazed that she found him attractive, seeing as she was such a gorgeous woman. Her long brown hair had lightened slightly in the sunshine and she was awash with freckles. He envied her slightly, her job was based outdoors. She always got fresh air, no matter what time of year.

"Exactly. Very important." Mulder said, placing a fresh kiss on her forehead. "Now I really have to go."

"Hey, is your partner going to be working with you today? Scully?" She asked suddenly, which took Mulder by surprise.

"Of course. We work together every day. She's my FBI partner." He said with a small laugh, how could she think that Scully would not be working with him? _And why was she even asking?_

"Oh." She said, lowering her head slightly. "I got the impression that she didn't like me much last night. I was so excited to meet her, from what you have told me she sounds like such an amazing person."

"I know." Mulder said with sigh. "I'm sorry about that. I will speak to her about it today. There was no reason for her to react to you like that. She can sometimes be a bit protective I guess, she's my best friend."

"But I am not someone to be worried about!" Sophie exclaimed.

"I know. She just doesn't know you properly yet. Don't worry, she will warm up to you." Mulder said with a smile. "Now go get yourself dressed, you have to go to work today as well. Although I do like seeing you dressed in my shirt." He said playfully, taking in the sight of her.

Sophie smiled and pulled him into a long kiss. Finally, Mulder pulled away and made his way to the door. With one last look behind him, not believing his luck, he left his apartment and made his way to work.

* * *

FBI Headquarters – Washington D.C.

Dana Scully grabbed her coffee cup and made her way down to the basement, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked along the FBI corridors.

Making her way towards the office door, she caught sight of Mulder unlocking the door and fumbling with his keys. She checked her wristwatch and saw that he was later than usual. Raising one eyebrow in irrational annoyance she watched him as he pushed open the door, dropping his keys clumsily.

"Mulder." She snapped.

He turned to face her in surprise and realised immediately that she was in a foul mood. He bent down to pick up the keys and placed them in his pocket.

"Oh, hey Scully. I'm a little later than I hoped today I know, but I still made it before you." He said with a cheeky smile, which would usually get a small smile from her, but not today. Her eyebrow arched even higher and she glared at him with icy eyes. Mulder was taken aback by her body language.

"Woah. What side of the bed did you.." He started, but was stopped mid sentence as she pushed past him and entered the office, making her way towards the filing cabinet and opening it in silence. Mulder watched her in shock as she made her scene. "Scully please can you tell me why you are acting this way?" He asked, but she didn't reply. He sighed in frustration. "And why you were so rude to Sophie last night? I wanted you to meet her so that you could stop being so suspicious of her."

Scully paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she chose her words carefully. She wasn't trying to be a bitch, but she couldn't help it. She didn't like or trust Sophie, but she actually seemed like a genuine, nice woman.

 _But this made her even more determined to find faults in her._

"I wasn't rude to her Mulder." She snapped, slamming the filing cabinet loudly and finally turning to face him. "She was rude to me."

"She was not!" Mulder exclaimed, shutting the office door behind him as he thought that their voices might get a bit louder during this conversation.

"She was Mulder!" Scully cried out, knowing that this at least was true. "She said I was older than she imagined and a lot smaller. What does that mean?"

"I guess she thought you would be taller?" Mulder said with a shrug, then regretted it immediately as he saw her face turn red like thunder.

"I am _not_ that short." Scully snapped furiously.

"Scully, for god's sake please just stop this." Mulder said, exasperated. He made his way towards her and reached his arms out to hold her. Scully jumped in surprise as he did this, the fury melting from her body immediately. Mulder gave her his usual smile and she felt her heart flutter like it always did. He placed his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes. "I know you're just looking out for me, and I get it. I know you are suspicious of her because this has all happened so fast, but there really is nothing to worry about." Mulder said gently. Scully felt her breathing stop as he spoke. He was so close to her now, she wanted to fall into his arms.

"I don't trust her Mulder. I'm sorry." She managed. "But I will try harder."

"Thank you." He said with a smile, then he pulled her closer and into an embrace. Scully gasped as his arms closed around her and she closed her eyes, trying to push all the negative thoughts away. Hot tears sprung in her eyes as she knew how happy he was. She know Mulder better than anyone in the world.

He was with Sophie.

 _She was just going to have to deal with it._

* * *

 _PLEASE REVIEW!_

 _I hope you like it! I hate Sophie already._

 _I'm so happy to be writing again and this is a type of fic that I have never written before, it can be set in any series but I am imagining Mulder and Scully looking like they do in season 5/6. I am not going to go along with storylines from seasons like I usually do, so expect anything to happen!_

 _More to come!_

 _Thank you again for reading guys!_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

"We are going to have to check out these murders." Scully said as she looked at the projector. Mulder nodded in silence, thinking about the case himself, when the office phone rang. Mulder reached over and picked it up.

"Mulder?"

Scully watched him as he listened to the person on the other end. She knew who it was immediately by a change in his body language and from the boyish grin that was now plastered all over his face. She felt her stomach drop and as if the ground started to slip from beneath her.

The anger she felt was overwhelming. She hated every feeling of jealousy that she had but she just _could not help it._

"Look, you can't call me here." He said with a sideways glance at Scully, who was glaring at him. "I… I know. I erm… I miss you too.." He said, blushing slightly as Scully scoffed at him openly. _Was this girl serious?_ "Look, I have to go."

Scully sighed heavily and turned on her heels. She couldn't stand it any longer.

She headed out of the office to get some lunch before Mulder could get rid of Sophie and ask her where she was going…

* * *

Downtown Washington D.C.

Dana Scully paid for her salad and took it from the woman at the deli. She gave her a small smile and made her way through the busy throng of the Washington work force, hungry and desperate to grab some lunch and sit in the sunshine for a precious half hour away from the office. She was surrounded by suits, some of them handsome, she noticed.

 _May be she could get herself a boyfriend, then Mulder would know how this felt._ But she knew that no one would be good enough for her and she would only be dating someone out of spite…

"Hey!" She cried out in anger as a handsome suit crashed into her as she exited through the busy doors. She nearly dropped her salad, but a strong hand caught it quickly. She caught her breath and raised her eyes, slowly coming face to face with a good looking man with mousey blond hair. He was looking extremely embarrassed and apologetic.

"I'm _so_ sorry." He said. She shook her head and said it that it was fine, he had saved her lunch. But he wouldn't have any of it. "No, I nearly took you out. Please let me get you something."

She opened her mouth to refuse but then stopped herself. Looking at him for a moment she noticed now green his eyes were. She decided to take him up on his offer.

"All right." She said with a small smile. The man looked relieved and led her towards the nearest coffee shop. It had seats outside and looked quieter than her favourite deli, where everyone seemed to be gathering nowadays. "Dana Scully." She said, extending her hand to shake his. He clasped onto it and shook it. Scully noticed that his grip was very firm. He looked like he was in very good shape.

"Tom Wheeler." He said with a smile. Scully took a deep breath as they ordered a couple of frappuccinos as it was scorching outside. She didn't usually do this sort of thing, but she was going to give his man a chance. After all, _he did nearly ruin her lunch..._

As they sat down on the rattan chairs in the sunshine, he smiled at her for a moment, seemingly admiring her. She blushed slightly, not used to the attention.

"Well my day just got a whole lot better. I am sorry I nearly knocked you over there." He said with a winning smile.

"That's all right. It was busy."

"That's no excuse, I'm sorry. So, what do you do Dana Scully?"

"I'm erm…" She started, unsure of whether to tell him her profession. _But she thought what the hell._ "I'm an FBI Agent."

He looked shocked, but impressed.

"Really?!" He said. "You work in the hoover building?"

"Yes of course." She said with a small smile.

"That is really cool… and _sexy_." He said with another winning smile. Scully nearly got up and left there and then, surprised at how open he was about his attraction to her this early on, but she stopped herself again. There was something about him.

"Well. What do you do?"

"I'm a dentist." He said with a laugh, obviously feeling like the failure out of the two of them.

"An honest profession. Well, it may surprise you that I am actually a medical doctor as well as an FBI Agent." She said.

"As well? Woah, I think I may just give up now, you are completely out of my league." He said, lifting his hands up in mock defeat, which made her laugh a little.

"I didn't realise this was a date." Scully said, raising her eyebrow questioningly.

"It's not. I mean, it can be whatever you want it to be." He said with that smile again. Scully felt a small flicker inside her stomach. "I just, think you're beautiful. That's all." He said, blushing slightly. Scully couldn't help but feel slightly taken aback by his words, but had to admit she was enjoying the attention.

"Thank you. I guess." She said awkwardly, not used to taking compliments, then checked her watch. She knew that Mulder would be wondering where she was.

"You have to go back to work?" He asked, seeming a bit disappointed. Scully nodded silently.

"Yes. It was nice to meet you… Tom." She said, reaching out her hand to shake his again, which he did politely.

"Could I… see you again? I'm sorry if I am being forward but life is too short. I understand if you don't want to see me again."

Scully paused, surprised at his insistence to get to know her better. She would usually say no, but she decided to give him a chance. _This was only a bit of fun anyhow..._

"Erm… sure." She said with a small smile. "See you again tomorrow lunch time?"

"All right. I promise not to crash into you. I may even buy you another drink." He said with a grin. She noticed that he was actually very handsome with very strong features. She wondered how he was not married.

 _May be he was._

"All right then." She said, then turned away from him and made her way back to the hoover building, clutching her uneaten salad in her now sweaty palms.

* * *

 _Please review! More to come ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Dana Scully watched as the elevator doors opened slowly, then jumped in shock as she saw Mulder's familiar hands grabbing onto them as they opened, revealing his panicked expression. Scully frowned in confusion at his demeanor. He looked frantic and breathless.

"Mulder… wha-" She started.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" He demanded, sweat clearly on his brow.

Scully opened her mouth in shock, unable to find the words. She was furious at his question but also confused and surprised by it. Why was he worried about where she had been? _How dare he even ask?_ She did have a life besides him..

"I beg your pardon?" She asked in a low voice, anger seething through her veins.

"Where have you been Scully!?" He demanded again, his face reddening with anger.

"To get some lunch!" She shouted back, holding up the salad to his face.

"You didn't tell me where you were going!" He snapped.

"Well you were too busy on the phone with _her_ to listen to anything I had to say.." She blurted out.

"Dammit Scully! Get in the office now!" Mulder shouted, making her even more angry. She held her ground.

"What the hell is going on!? Who do you think you are?" She snapped.

"Scully!" He exclaimed in frustration, softening slightly. She looked at him as if he was mad.

"You have to trust me. Get in the office, now."

She heard the determination in his voice and she stopped for a moment, unsure of how to react.

 _She knew then that something was wrong._

"Scully, _please."_ Mulder begged now, reaching a hand out to her to guide her out of the elevator. She noticed that it was shaking slightly.

"Mulder, you're shaking.." She asked with slight concern, reaching for her gun as her suspicion grew.

But he stopped her.

"Just come with me. You don't need your gun. I just need you to come into the office. _NOW._ "

Surely this was not just a reaction to her leaving the office without him. Something was up.

"All right." She said in a small voice, taking his hand.

* * *

Mulder & Scully's Office

"Agent Scully, please take a seat."

She glanced over at Skinner nervously as Mulder shut then locked the door behind her. He stood at Mulder's desk, a stern expression on his face. He was deadly serious. Scully realised that her salad was still in her hand and that she now felt sick.

"Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on?" She asked in a stern voice.

"Just sit down Scully." Mulder snapped angrily. "You can have your salad afterwards."

Scully glanced at him in astonishment. _Why was he being such as asshole?_

"I will if you sit down!" She shouted at him. "I only went out to get some lunch for god's sake!"

"We _know_ Dana. But I need to tell you what I told Mulder after you left the office. I was coming to see you both but you had already gone. I need your full attention, this is very serious." Skinner said firmly. Scully looked at him, unable to find the words. Mulder sighed heavily and she felt his eyes bearing into the back of her head. "Agent Mulder, sit down as well. You could do with hearing this again."

Scully felt better now that Mulder was also getting the same instructions. With a heavy sigh he made his way towards the desk and sat down in one of the chairs, raising his hand to his lips. Scully noticed that he looked deep in thought.

 _He looked incredibly troubled._

"Yes Sir." Scully said finally. She sat down next to Mulder and tried to meet his gaze, but Mulder was ignoring her completely. She frowned in confusion and felt hurt. "Mulder? What is going on?"

"Agent Scully, you and Agent Mulder are in grave danger." Skinner said simply.

Scully paused for a moment, wondering if this was a joke.

"We are always in danger Sir, it comes with the job."

"This is not a joke Agent Scully. You have never been in more danger than you are now. There is someone out there who is trying to kill you both. And they are here, in Washington."

Scully swallowed nervously, starting to understand now why Mulder had reacted the way he had when she had left the office. But still, there was more to this, he had overreacted..

"Who is this person?" She asked quizzically.

"A trained assassin." Skinner said in a frustrated voice. "Someone that is very good at their job."

"But… but why?"

"Because apparently you have seen something you were not supposed to see." Skinner said with a sigh. Scully watched as he ran his hand over his bald head with worry. "I know it sounds crazy, but I have good reason to believe this claim. You both can't take any chances."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I want you to remain in this building during working hours, and I will station Agents around your homes for your own protection."

"Is this… is this really necessary?" She asked incredulously. She looked over to Mulder again but she could see that he was still ignoring her. She frowned in confusion. "There's something else. Something else you haven't told me."

Skinner was silent as he waited for Mulder to say something. Mulder closed his eyes for a moment and she waited, her stomach turning in knots.

"Scully, the man who is trying to kill us-" Mulder started, taking a deep breath and finally turning towards her, his eyes full of hurt, "-is the same man you have just had _coffee with_ …"

* * *

PLEASE REVIEW!

:)


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Scully didn't know whether to scream at him or hit him.

How _dare_ he spy on her?

"We don't know that for sure Agent Mulder." Skinner said, sensing the tension between his two agents. Scully rose to her feet in anger.

" _How dare you_ …" She said slowly in a dreaded tone.

"Scully we had to watch you for your own protection." Skinner said, trying to calm the situation. "You know how it is, you are in danger!"

"I… I can't believe this!" She exclaimed, glaring at Mulder angrily. Skinner sighed and closed the file that was in front of him.

"Look Dana, we still want you to meet up with him tomorrow."

She opened her mouth wide in shock.

"You were _listening._.?" She asked incredulously. Skinner sighed in frustration.

"Yes! We needed to know what was going on. I sent an Agent to sit behind you at the coffee shop."

Scully couldn't believe what she was hearing, that Mulder had heard everything that Tom had said to her. She suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed.

"We need to know if he really is the man who is trying to kill you both." Skinner continued. "We'll put a wire on you and watch you from a distance. I'm sorry…" Skinner started, unable to find the words as Scully looked at him in a mixture of anger and foolishness. She nodded silently, biting her bottom lip. "Look, I'll leave you both to take in this news. I want you back in my office at the end of the day, before you leave."

* * *

Scully closed her eyes and tried to calm herself as Skinner left the office, locking the door behind him as he left.

She took deep breaths.

 _She was unable to look at Mulder._

Turning to face away from him, she placed her salad down on the desk and wondered if she could manage to eat any of it now. _She doubted it._

"Scully…" She heard his voice from behind her, but she ignored him. "Scully, let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about." She snapped.

"I'm sorry I reacted like that but I was so worried about you." Mulder said, his voice full of sincerity. Scully closed her eyes again and felt hot tears spring in them. She had actually enjoyed talking to Tom and the affection he had given her. It had made her forget about Mulder and Sophie for a moment. She wanted to believe that Mulder and Skinner were wrong about him, but she knew deep down that they probably weren't. "When Skinner told me, he asked where you had gone. I knew that you had probably gone to get your salad from your usual place, so we kept tabs on you, just in case anything happened to you. Then I saw that _asshole_ bump into you and then when he took you to that coffee shop I…"

"Asshole?" Scully blurted out, turning on him now as fury raged inside her. He looked taken aback by her. She realised that a tear was falling down her cheek involuntarily. "How do you know that he is an asshole Mulder? Or is he just an asshole because he wanted to have coffee with me!?"

"Scully, I'm not saying that…" Mulder said with difficulty, moving out of his chair and towards her. But she spoke over him.

"Is this any different to how I feel about Sophie? _Now_ do you understand?" She spat out. Mulder paused for a moment and considered this for the first time. He sighed heavily and felt his heart call out for Scully.

"All right, I get it. I'm sorry." He said in a small voice. "But Skinner says he may be the guy."

Scully paused for a moment as she thought about Tom and how eager he had been to see her again. _May be they were right. She shouldn't have bothered speaking to him, she felt so foolish..._

"I was worried about you. I was just about ready to go out there and interrupt you myself, but then you left. Skinner wasn't going to let me anyway, he said it would be too dangerous." Mulder said, his eyes full of concern.

"You were shaking because you were worried about me?" She asked in a whisper, turning to face him now and their eyes meeting. She felt her heart beat in her ears as Mulder's soul searching eyes bared into hers. He blinked then shifted on his feet, looking away from her and breaking the moment.

"I… I guess. I was frightened." He said.

Scully nodded, a heartening feeling growing inside her chest at his admission.

"So, what about Sophie?" She asked the dreaded question. Mulder frowned in confusion at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well she is going to have to be questioned right?" She asked, waiting for Mulder's agreement. But to her surprise his expression changed to disbelief.

"I don't think that a young woman that works at a kids camp is going to be under suspicion somehow Scully, besides, Skinner said that it was a man."

"Right." Scully said in a flat tone. Then to her renewed annoyance, Mulder dared to laugh.

"You think that Sophie has something to do with this? Scully please, we have been over this already, you have to _stop this…"_

"Sure Mulder." She said, her icy demeanor back again at the mention of that woman's name.

She wished she had never said anything, but Mulder needed to be wary of her. She knew that Skinner would agree...

* * *

 _Please Review!_


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Mulder and Scully walked towards the FBI car park together.

The atmosphere was slightly tense as Skinner had briefed them on what they were to expect after a long hour of heavy questioning. They were both tired and emotionally drained.

Scully remembered the words Skinner had said, _"You are each to be followed home by Agents and cannot not leave the house without letting them know."_ He reiterated that this threat was real and that they needed protection at all times.

Scully glanced over at Mulder as he seemed slightly uptight, she could tell by his body language. She ran a hand through her red hair and straightened up her skirt and jacket as Mulder opened the door for her and waited for her to pass into the parking lot. Just as expected, the 4x4s were waiting for them further down, with their protection Agents inside.

Just as Scully started walking towards her own car, she caught sight of someone she was not expecting, or wanting to see.

Sophie was standing by her red jeep, clearly waiting for Mulder. Scully stopped mid track and felt her heart drop inside her chest. _Why was she here?_ Mulder saw her too and turned to Scully, looking at her over his shoulder for a moment as he knew what she would be thinking.

Scully met his gaze and gave him a questioning look, but Mulder ignored her and walked towards Sophie. Scully watched as they embraced and she saw Sophie kiss him on the cheek. She felt her cheeks flare with unwanted jealousy. Sophie saw her over Mulder's shoulder and smiled at her, motioning for her to come over and speak to her. _Scully couldn't believe this…_

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Mulder asked Sophie, surprised and slightly embarrassed that she had come to see him at work. She hugged onto him tightly then kissed his cheek. Mulder smiled awkwardly. "You know that I drove to work this morning and that I didn't need picking up." He said, looking into Sophie's excited face. He felt himself cringe inside as he knew that Scully was watching everything. There was no denying that this made Sophie appear clingy, _or that was how Scully would see it..._

"I wanted to see you! I missed you!" She exclaimed, holding his hands tight. Mulder nodded silently and sighed uncomfortably.

"All right, but listen, I need to talk to you, we've both had a really rough day…" Mulder started, but Sophie didn't appear to be listening and he noticed that she was motioning for Scully to come over to them. Mulder watched her in disbelief as he knew that Scully wouldn't be interested.

"I want to speak to her again, make a better impression." Sophie said as she saw Mulder's expression.

Mulder couldn't help but feel for her, she was trying. But now he could hear Scully's heels clicking towards him and he dreaded the awkward exchange that was about to happen. _He almost wanted the ground to swallow him up…_

"Good evening." He heard Scully say in her dry tone.

"Scully, hi! It's so great to see you again, I think we got off on the wrong foot last night…" She started, Mulder cringing again, openly now…

"No it's all right." Scully said, her voice laced with false concern. _Mulder could sense her distaste of Sophie a mile off._

"No please! I wanted to say that Fox has told me all about you and you seem like such an amazing person. You have saved his life countless times, he really is in good hands." Sophie said, her high voice running at a hundred miles an hour.

Scully smiled, unsure of how to respond. She was being sweet enough.

"Thank you." She said simply, her eyes running over her and secretly trying to criticize every inch of her body.

But it made her stomach turn that she was in fact incredibly attractive, and younger than her.

"We better get going, as I said before we have had a really rough day." Mulder said suddenly, breaking up the exchange. Scully was grateful and she threw Sophie a forced, tight lipped smile.

"Good bye. See you tomorrow." Scully said quickly, then turned on her heels and made her way over to her car before Sophie could say anything else.

* * *

"What's going on Fox? What's happened?" Sophie said, worry and confusion now etched across her face. Mulder took a deep breath and tried to find the words. He didn't want to scare her.

"We found out today that someone is trying to kill Scully and I."

"What?!" Sophie cried out, her voice echoing around the car park.

"It's all right, there's no need to be scared." Mulder said quickly, pulling her into an embrace in an effort to get her to quieten down. "We have protection, they will be following us home."

"But… but why would someone want to _kill_ you?" She asked in shock. Mulder squeezed her tighter.

"Because apparently we have seen something we weren't supposed to, but that could be anything. We have to get going, the Agents are waiting for us." Mulder said softly, pulling back and holding her face in his hands and searching her face. She looked worried, but she calmed down as he met her gaze. She let him guide her around to the driving side. "You will need to give me a lift back in the morning." He said as he got into the passenger side and buckled his belt. Sophie nodded silently as she started the ignition and Mulder glanced at her with concern.

"It's going to be all right. I promise."

* * *

Scully's Apartment – 6.38pm

Scully had dressed into her comfy clothes and she was sitting at her table, eating the last few bites of her pasta dinner. But her stomach was churning, her mind going into overdrive as she tried to make sense of everything. _Was Tom really the man who was trying to kill them?_

She sighed heavily and dropped the fork down on the plate as her suspicions of Sophie failed to disappear. She couldn't believe that she had turned up like that, out of the blue. The girl was obsessed, _it was actually pathetic to watch…_

But she forced herself to stop thinking this way, she was insanely jealous and it was making her think irrationally… but she couldn't stop.

Scully walked over to the bay window of her apartment and peered through the venetian blinds, spotting the parked FBI vehicle with the Agents inside. Brushing a lose piece of hair away from her face she toyed again with the decision that had been torturing her since she had got home. _Should she do it?_

"Dammit." She muttered under her breath, her heart winning over her head. She grabbed her desk phone and dialled the number for Skinner's apartment. Her heart pouded loudly in her ears as she waited for him to pick up. It seemed to take _forever..._

"Walter Skinner?" He said.

"Sir, it's Agent Scully." She said, swallowing nervously.

"Scully? Are you all right?!" Skinner asked suddenly, his voice full of worry.

"Yes Sir, I am. I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I was wondering why you didn't question Mulder's girlfriend."

There was a long silence after she said it, which made her feel even worse. She knew that Mulder would be furious at her for bringing up her suspicions of Sophie to Skinner, but she just couldn't help herself.

Finally, Skinner spoke.

"He has a girlfriend?" He asked in confusion. Scully felt a tightening in her chest.

"Yes, he didn't tell you?" She asked in shock.

"No, in fact he didn't mention her at all."

"But you asked me who I had been having relations with, friendly or otherwise for the past three months! He didn't say anything!?" She asked in surprise.

She and Mulder had been questioned separately at the office, but she had never expected him to leave out this huge detail – called _Sophie._

"No, he didn't." Skinner said with a frustrated sigh. "I guess this means we will have to question her right now. Is she with him now?"

Scully froze, her heart pounding loudly in her ears again.

"Yes. She's _living_ with him, I think.." She said in a dreaded tone which was impossible to hide.

"I'll send the Agents who are keeping watch up to his apartment and I'll meet them there. Don't worry Scully, we'll make sure she gets a proper questioning." Skinner said, his voice firm.

She opened her mouth to say the words that she was struggling to ask. How would this look? _Would it make it look like she was jealous?!_

"Sir?" She started, feeling her mouth drying as she fought to get the words out. "Would I – would I be able to sit in on that?"

 _There, she had said it._

Skinner paused for a moment, considering this in his mind.

"Sure." He said finally. "He's your partner and you need to know if he is in danger. I understand. I'll contact the Agents outside you now. Don't leave the apartment without them, you hear me?" He said in an orderly tone, then put the phone down.

Scully stared at the phone as the dial tone rang out.

She couldn't deny that she was looking forward to watching Sophie squirm, but she knew that Mulder would be livid. But that was something she was just going to have to deal with. _She knew something wasn't right about her…_

Running into the bedroom she changed her jogging bottoms for a pair of jeans. Slipping on her ankle boots she grabbed her brown leather jacket off the hanger and waited for the Agents to arrive, her heart still racing with nervousness and anticipation…

* * *

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 _ **Thanks for your reviews so far Im so glad you like it! I was worried no one would read it as the title mentions Mulder had a girlfriend haha.. but you know I am a die hard msr shipper.. :)**_


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Mulder's Apartment – 7.30pm

She was expecting Mulder to be angry, but his reaction as she walked through his apartment door took her by total surprise.

It was worse than she had imagined.

She swallowed nervously as he saw him shouting at Skinner in frustration, who was seating Sophie down on his desk chair. Scully almost ran back out of the door as she suddenly realised what pain she had caused Mulder, but she had to force herself to stay. _She wanted to hear what Sophie had to say for herself._

Sophie looked frightened, but she was cooperating with Skinner's questions.

"She works at a kid's camp for god's sake! She's innocent!" Mulder shouted out at Skinner. Scully felt a sickening feeling in her stomach and she just wanted to comfort him.

"Please, I don't have anything to hide." Sophie said in a small voice, as another FBI agent helped Skinner set up the interrogation.

"It's all right Sophie. I promise this will all be over with soon." Mulder said gently, trying to remain calm and placing a hand on her shoulder. She nodded sadly and Skinner gave him a look to say – _back off._

Mulder knew that Skinner was only doing his job, but he was furious. That was when he turned to see Scully, standing in the kitchen and leaning against the door frame to the main living area. His anger and frustration towards her must have been evident on his face as she seemed taken aback as his eyes met hers. Mulder took a deep breath, his heart raging. He made his way towards her, not saying a word. He didn't want to speak to her.

Scully opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't. She swallowed down hot tears which were rising in her throat, threatening to fall. _Couldn't Mulder see that she was just doing this to protect him?_

He neared her then leant against the other side of the door frame, across from her and folded his arms. He didn't take his eyes off Sophie.

Scully glanced over at him nervously. She had to say something. This was unbearable.

"Mulder I…" She started.

"Why Scully?" He snapped fiercely over her, stopping her mid sentence. She paused in shock.

"I'm sorry.." She started, the tears now threatening to fall again.

"You're sorry!? You're SORRY!?" He spat out, looking at her with disgust. Scully felt as if her heart had smashed into pieces.

"Yes Mulder, I'm sorry. You should have told Skinner about her! Why didn't you!" She said in her defence.

"Because she is innocent! For _Christ's sake_ Scully!" He exclaimed, running a hand through his hair as he watched on as Skinner pressed Sophie for information.

"We don't know that for sure Mulder."

"I know that! I know for sure Scully! You've always trusted me, why can't you now!?"

"I feel that your judgement may be clouded by your feelings for her…" Scully started with difficulty. Mulder shook his head in disbelief and scoffed at her.

"You are unbelievable. _Unbelievable_!"

Scully couldn't find the words. But she stood her ground, she wanted to see this through.

"I bet you are loving this aren't you? I can't believe you even had the _audacity_ to show your face here." Mulder growled. Scully bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself down. This was terrible. They had never fought this badly before.

"Please Mulder, I'm just trying to keep you safe." She said in a hoarse whisper.

Mulder didn't respond.

* * *

Scully watched the interrogation, but all she could think about was Mulder. After a few moments, she decided that may be this was a bad idea.

"May be I should just go." She said in a small voice, fighting back the tears. She turned and left the apartment before the FBI agents could follow her.

"Hey!" Mulder exclaimed in a mixture of annoyance and worry as Scully left without protection. "Scully! Scully stop!" He shouted after her and rushed behind her into the hallway.

"You don't want me here Mulder. You've made your point." She said, her voice cracking with tears.

"I don't want you in danger either!" He exclaimed.

"Agent Scully, please stop. You cannot go outside." Her FBI agent called after her, now catching up and stopping her in her tracks.

She could still sense Mulder behind her and she stopped. Lowering her head, she stifled a sob.

"Scully get back inside!" Mulder shouted in frustration.

She gathered herself and turned back, making her way back into the apartment.

* * *

After a long and painful thirty minutes, Skinner finally stood up from the chair he was sitting in across from Sophie and paced towards them.

 _Mulder was itching to go to Sophie._

Scully watched him as he looked at her with worry. She felt that sinking feeling in her stomach once again as he only usually looked at her that way. She couldn't deny that she was jealous. Was this all a huge mistake? _Had she been foolish and lost Mulder because of her actions?_

"Agent Mulder, Scully.." Skinner started in a low voice, "We got nothing. She's clean."

Mulder threw a glare at Scully then immediately rushed through the apartment, bending down to Sophie's side. Scully watched as he ran a hand through her hair and stroked her cheek gently. Then she saw him pull her into an embrace.

 _Scully felt terrible._

"I'm sorry Dana." Skinner whispered to her, noticing how much this was hurting her. He wasn't blind, he knew how close they were. "You did the right thing, I want you to know that. Mulder should have told us about her."

Scully nodded silently as tears pooled in her eyes, clouding her vision. She couldn't hold them back any longer and she blinked as they ran down her cheeks.

"Sophie, I'm sorry." She called out to her, making Mulder turn back to her with a heavy frown. His eyes were full of disappointment.

Sophie looked at her with sad eyes but she seemed to accept the apology. Mulder on the other hand, did not.

She was desperate to leave.

"Let's go." She said to the FBI agents who were protecting her, now waiting patiently at the door.

* * *

Mulder watched her leave and he could not deny that he had seen tears in Scully's eyes. He knew that she felt terrible for putting them through this, but enough was enough.

Pulling Sophie into another embrace he tried to focus on her and not listen to the ache in his heart which called out to Scully...

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

FBI Headquarters - Next Day

Dana Scully kept her head down as she walked towards the office door, her heart beating fast in her chest. The whole morning had been terrible, the atmosphere totally ruined between them. She couldn't believe it had come to this, they were always so close. Never before had she been so eaten up inside about facing him.

Taking a deep breath she opened the door and looked down at her heeled feet as she took a few steps inside. She raised her head slowly and saw Mulder at the filing cabinet. He was ignoring her, once again. She was tired of this, it had to stop.

"Mulder please, talk to me..?" She asked desperately. Mulder paused and put the file he was holding back into the cabinet then slammed it shut, making her flinch slightly.

"What is there to talk about?" He asked stubbornly. Scully sighed heavily and felt the tears spring her eyes again.

"I've said that I am sorry. I feel terrible for how this has made you feel towards me." She murmured.

"Well you should have thought about that before you called Skinner to interrogate my girlfriend." Mulder snapped, making his way towards the desk. "We fought last night, about you. She thinks that you hate her."

Scully felt fury burn inside her, laced with guilt.

"I'm sorry that you fought, but Mulder, you should have told Skinner about her, then this would never have happened." She said firmly. Mulder sighed heavily and sat down in his chair.

"I know, but I never expected you to do this, not you Scully. You're supposed to be my friend." He said, his voice full of hurt.

"I AM your friend!" Scully exclaimed in disbelief. "How can you even say that!?"

Just then, the phone rang. They both stared at it.

After an awkward moment Mulder picked it up.

"Yes. Of course. Be right there." Mulder said in a dry voice. He placed the phone back on the receiver and stood up, straightening up his jacket. Scully felt her heart pound in her chest as Mulder walked towards her. She waited for him to tell her what was going on, but he didn't. Holding her hands out in confusion, she frowned with frustration as she followed him.

"Are you going to tell me who that was?" She demanded.

"Skinner." Mulder said in a flat tone as he left the office and walked towards the elevator, Scully hot on his heels.

"And!?"

"It's lunch time." Mulder said, his voice slightly patronizing. He stopped and turned to her and then she knew what was coming. How could she have forgotten? "Time for you to have coffee with the guy who is trying to kill us. Looking forward to seeing him again?" He asked sarcastically, then pressed the elevator call button.

Scully hated that Mulder was not letting this go, but now she had work to do.

She had to swallow her pride and admit that she had been wrong, and now this was her chance to sort this out once and for all. She couldn't deny that she was nervous, and her mind was not in the right place, but it was time to forget about their argument.

She was a trained FBI agent and she would not let this affect her work...

* * *

Downtown Washington D.C.

 _She felt nervous, there was no denying that._

No matter how trained she was, she never stopped feeling anxious when she was about to go into a dangerous situation.

Mulder would usually have been more comforting, but he hadn't been when she had left. Deep down she knew that he was worried about her, they had a history that couldn't be replaced. But she had to follow orders and help catch this man, so this nightmare could be over.

Scully felt the piece in her ear and she heard Skinner speaking to her.

 _"Just act natural, we have agents all around. Don't worry, we just want you to talk to him then we can get a positive ID."_ He was saying, but she was trying to look for him through the crowd.

The sun was blinding hot again and she was sweating. She hoped that she looked calm and collected as she made her way towards the Deli to wait for him. But to her surprise he was already there.

 _"He's keen."_ She heard Mulder's voice in her ear as he commented exactly what she was thinking.

"Hi!" He said as he saw her, raising his hand to wave to her. Scully looked him up and down again, he really was a handsome man. But she noticed now that his strong muscular body was a slight worry, rather than a turn on. He looked like he could overpower her. She was strong and well trained but she wouldn't be a match for him. Once again, Mulder seemed to be thinking the same thing.

 _"Don't worry Scully, we have eyes on you."_ He said to her, his voice softer now for the first time today. Scully felt a small wave of relief wash over her as Mulder sounded more like himself. She knew that he was surrounded by other FBI agents, including Skinner - and that he didn't want to draw any attention to their argument so he was acting as business as usual. _But she also knew that he would be worried about her, no matter how angry he was with her._

"You look stunning, even more beautiful than yesterday." Tom gushed, reaching over to her and placing a hand on her forearm, which made her flinch, but she didn't show it on her face. She threw him a smile and raised a hand to her eyes to shield them from the sun then looked over at the coffee shop.

"Shall we get a coffee again?" She asked, following Skinner's orders. He nodded happily and led her towards the shop. Scully was impressed, if this man really was the killer, he was very good at hiding his true personality..

* * *

They ordered the same drinks then sat on the chairs outside.

Scully could sense the tension in the situation room at the office just by the sounds she could hear of muffled voices in her ear. She imagined Mulder, standing watching with his hands on his hips, anxiously waiting for something to happen.

Tom seemed over affectionate today. She smiled as he talked about work.

 _"Just keep him talking Scully, not long now."_ Skinner said into her ear.

"Do how long have you been a dentist?" She asked.

"Oh, since I was little. My Father owned a dental surgery, its just down a few blocks. Then I took over when he retired. I never wanted to do anything else." He said, flashing his perfect smile again. "What about you?" He asked. She felt a tightening in her chest.

"I told you, I'm an FBI Agent."

"I know, but what department? What do you investigate?" He asked, perfectly innocently. Scully paused for a moment and she sensed Mulder listening intently, his paranoia getting the best of him.

 _"Tell him Scully."_ She heard him say.

"I work for a department called 'The X-Files'. My partner and I investigate unexplained cases, paranormal or otherwise." She said, searching Tom's face for any suspicious reaction, but there was none.

"That's very interesting." He said simply, leaning in closer to her.

To Scully's surprise he placed a hand on her knee. Suddenly she felt panicked and rose to her feet, causing Tom to frown in confusion.

* * *

Mulder watched as Tom got nearer to her and then he watched in shock as he placed his hand on her knee. He almost punched the wall with fury, but his hands were tightly clenched in his pockets. He didn't want to cause a scene, _but he couldn't bear this asshole leering over her..._

"What's he doing!?" He exclaimed to Skinner, who was also looking slightly worried.

"He's flirting. It's all right, we got an ID." He said, but this did not calm Mulder.

"WHAT?" He shouted, realising how close this murderer was to Scully. He pressed the button to speak to her. "Scully? It's me. Listen to me, I want you to remain calm, but it's him. We have a positive match."

Skinner glanced at Mulder with slight worry. He didn't want Mulder to do anything stupid, but he could sense that this was already getting too much for him.

* * *

Scully listened as Mulder told her the words she didn't want to hear.

 _It was him. He was the man who was trying to kill them._

"Do you want to go for a walk?" She blurted out suddenly, trying to keep her demeanor. Tom raised an eyebrow at her but didn't seem to object.

"Sure." He said lightly. "Look, I'm sorry if I came on too strong then.." He started.

"I've been sitting down all day." Scully spoke over him, not wanting to hear another word of his false advances. Tom looked surprised but he was happy to go with her.

 _"That's it Scully, get him out into the open and someone will grab him. We got this. Don't worry, just act natural."_ Skinner said, watching the scene unfold. He radioed the Agents surrounding them, all in plain clothes and acting like normal civilians.

Mulder tapped his foot nervously, worry filling his insides. He wanted Scully out of there, NOW.

"Come on, let's take a walk." Scully said, motioning for him to join her.

Tom nodded silently and stood up by her side, a little too close for comfort..

* * *

Mulder and Skinner watched anxiously as they walked back into the coffee shop. They waited for them to come out from the other side, thirty seconds, then a minute.

Mulder froze. _It shouldn't take this long._

Skinner glanced at him nervously, sensing something was wrong. Mulder almost exploded.

"Scully?" He asked frantically, pressing the button to communicate with her. But there was nothing.

"SCULLY!? SCULLY TALK TO ME!" He shouted now, desperate for any sign from her.

His eyes darted about the busy square, searching every shop for her, but there was no sign of them.

"Something's wrong…" He started, his voice wavering with fear. "SOMETHING'S WRONG!" He shouted again at Skinner, who could not disagree.

Then suddenly, Mulder heard what he didn't want to hear. Scully's voice, muffled and afraid.

 _"Mu-Mulder!"_ She exclaimed, fear clearly in her voice.

Skinner already knew he was running out of the office and down onto the busy streets. He cursed in frustration and followed after him, grabbing his own gun out of its holster.

"EVERYBODY! OUTSIDE NOW!" Skinner shouted to the Agents who were helping. They all followed him out, running as fast as they could to help her.

* * *

She gasped in shock as he pushed her backwards, towards the back of the busy coffee shop. She was taken by total surprise, unable to call out as he was so strong. He temporarily winded her as he shoved his elbow into her stomach, silencing her as he led her through the back door. The shop was so crammed and busy that no one noticed…

As they burst through the fire door and out into the back street, the smell of garbage filled her nose and she saw she was surrounded by garbage bins. There was also a sickening stench of urine, made worse by the hot sun.

She gasped for air and tried to scream, but Tom was too strong for her. Her heeled feet slipped across the ground as he dragged her along, pulling her by her jacket.

"Don't even think about calling for help." Tom snarled, pressing a sharp, cold blade of a knife against her neck. Scully cried out in shock as the knife cut into her skin, causing a little bleeding. She struggled against him, but it just made the cut deeper.

She heard Mulder's shouting her name in her ear, her heart breaking as she couldn't call out to him. She had to look on the positive side.

 _At least he knew that she was in danger._

"STOP IT!" He raged. "You'll end up killing yourself."

"Mu-Mulder!" She finally managed, praying that they could hear her.

"I said SHUT UP!" He raged, then reached into her ear, grabbing the piece and chucking it on the floor.

Scully cried out in frustration as he stood on the ear piece, smashing it into pieces…

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	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Tom held her tight and she fought against him, not caring that the knife was digging deeper into her neck. _She had to fight back, she had to._

"Get… off.. me!" She grunted.

"I said stop it! Or you will end up slitting your own throat!"

"FREEZE! FBI!"

Scully opened her eyes wide as she heard the words, relief washing over her. She didn't recognise the agent's voice, but help was here.

 _But it wasn't over yet._

Her neck was bleeding heavily but she was going to stay alive. She had to.

"HELP!" She shouted out desperately, but Tom clung onto her tighter again and this time he squeezed her neck with his hands, choking her. He changed position of the knife and then pointed it in the direction of her abdomen.

She started to get frantic, knowing that if she was stabbed in the stomach it was one of the most painful and slowest ways to die. _She needed to get free, she had to…_

"COME ANY CLOSER AND I'LL KILL HER!" Tom roared beside her, tightening his grip again around her neck. Scully gasped for air, her lungs aching as she couldn't get enough. She started to feel dizzy, everything was spinning around her.

 _She closed her eyes and thought of Mulder, she just wanted to see him, then everything would be ok…_

"SCULLY!"

 _Thank god._

She heard Mulder's cry and opened her eyes again, trying to look for him. But Tom had tilted her head up so much that she could only see the tops of the tall buildings around her. She struggled again, but this only caused him to tighten his grip on her.

"DROP THE WEAPON!" She heard Skinner this time, his voice loud and angry.

"You know I won't do that." Tom said with a smirk.

 _It all happened too fast._

Suddenly she cried out in agony as Tom sliced the blade into her side, the searing pain making her eyes wide open in shock, but as he did someone fired their gun, hitting him in the arm and causing him to let go of her completely.

She fell to the hard ground.

* * *

Mulder watched as his bullet hit Tom in the arm, causing him to reel in pain and let go of Scully, not before he had stabbed the knife into her side.

But then he was gone, heading back into the coffee shop and running. Skinner shouted for everyone to chase him, and they ran off, guns in hands in pursuit.

"Stay with Scully, Mulder!" Skinner shouted as he went through the door.

But Mulder didn't need to be told.

 _He felt his heart race with panic as he prayed that the knife wound was not too bad._

He ran towards her, his stomach in knots as he saw her laying in a pool of blood. He could hardly breathe. _  
_

"Scully?" He asked frantically, pulling her into his arms. She lay with her eyes closed but Mulder could see that she was still conscious and that she was frowning in pain. "I got you. It's all right." He said reassuringly. He grabbed his phone and called 9-1-1.

"This is Agent Fox Mulder with the FBI, we have an Agent down! Hurry!" He shouted into the phone frantically when he got through.

"Scully, talk to me." He asked in fear, when he had finished the phone call, giving them their location and his badge number. He pushed a piece of hair away from her face.

He felt her pulse and noticed that it was strong, considering her state.

"Mulder…" She whispered weakly. "How- how bad… how bad is it?"

Mulder saw her breathing get heavier with the pain. He held her close and unbuttoned her blue blouse, revealing her bare skin and white bra. He swallowed nervously, hoping that it wasn't as bad as he feared. Pulling the sides of the blouse open, he checked the wound.

He could see a lot of blood, but he wasn't sure how bad it was. To his FBI trained eye, it didn't look too deep, but he wasn't a doctor...

"I - I don't know, it doesn't look too bad.. I guess." He said with difficulty. But then he noticed the cut on her neck. Mulder felt his blood boil with anger.

That asshole that butchered her. Her beautiful skin now in tatters. _How dare he?!_

"The ambulance will be here soon. It's going to be all right." He said, reassuring himself as well as Scully now. As he checked her neck he was relieved to see that it hadn't gone too deep. His main concern was her abdomen.

"Mulder - I'm – I'm sorry.." She said between breaths. Mulder frowned with concern, knowing that she was trying to apologise again for last night, but he couldn't let her continue feeling like that, not now.

"I know, its all right. I'm sorry I was such a jerk about it all Scully. You were right to be thorough." He said gently, squeezing her hand tight.

"I-I'm sorry… she seems like... a really nice girl.." She said again between painful breaths.

"Stop Scully, I've already told you. I forgive you." He said softly. "Can you forgive me?"

But she didn't answer. _She was silent and not moving._

Mulder felt his heart skip a beat as he checked her pulse again. It was weak.

"Scully?" He asked frantically, letting go of her hand and cupping her face. "SCULLY!?" He said again, louder and more panicked this time. He couldn't lose her, _this could not be happening…_

"AGENT MULDER?"

He heard a man calling his name from down the dark side street and then saw the comforting flashing lights of the ambulance. He couldn't waste any more time. Picking her up in his arms he ran with her towards it. They ran towards them pushing a gurney, worried expressions on their faces.

"All right, we got it from here." The paramedic said, checking Scully over and pushing her into the back of the ambulance.

"She was just speaking to me, then she just… went quiet." Mulder said, his face now pale with worry. The paramedic looked at him with sympathy.

"She's lost a lot of blood but the wound doesn't look like it's too deep. We have to hurry or she will go into shock. Come on, get in." He said, then placed his hand on Mulder's back, leading him into the ambulance.

Mulder nodded silently, unable to speak.

He climbed in next to her and watched as they worked on her, the ambulance tearing through the streets.

* * *

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	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Georgetown Memorial Hospital, Washington D.C.

They pushed Scully through the swinging doors to the ER, Mulder closely behind her.

He realised that his own shirt was now covered with blood. He was sweating, it was such a hot day.

He pulled off his tie as he ran behind them, loosening the top buttons on his shirt. He watched as they wheeled her into surgery then tried to follow but her Doctor stopped him immediately, taking him by surprise.

"This is as far as you are allowed to go." He said, placing a hand on Mulder's arm. Mulder felt his heart racing. "Are you injured as well?"

"No… why would you..?" He started breathlessly, then noticed that the doctor was looking at his shirt. "It's Scully's blood…" He mentioned sadly, "not mine."

"Right." The Doctor said sympathetically. "We need to stitch up her wound and she is going to need some blood. Are you her FBI partner? The one that called 9-1-1?"

Mulder nodded silently, watching Scully being prepped for surgery through the windows of the swinging doors. He swallowed nervously, feeling his heart aching for her.

"I will let you know as soon as she is out of surgery, but for now I need to get scrubbed up." He said, then entered the room himself. He watched as they pulled a curtain around her body, shielding the surgery from view.

Mulder tore himself away from her and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

* * *

He made his way over to the water fountain and had a drink, sweat running down his back. He ran his tie through his fingers nervously, desperately trying to stop thinking about Scully, his worried mind going into overdrive.

"Mulder!"

He heard Skinner's voice from down the hall and turned to see him running towards him. His face was red and he was also sweating.

But he wanted to know _, right now._

"Did you get him?" Mulder asked quickly.

"Yes, we have him in custody. However he's here at the moment seeing as you shot his arm. We just got here." Skinner said, then regretted it as Mulder's face turned to thunder.

Skinner watched as he started off down the hall, determined, from the direction that Skinner had come from. Mulder's blind rage was guiding him where he wanted to go. But Skinner managed to stop him.

"Mulder stop!" He exclaimed, pushing his hands onto Mulder's chest and knocking him back. Mulder frowned in fury as Skinner got in his way, and he pushed forward again, ready to burst.

"Get out of my way Sir!" He shouted, earning some anxious glances from the other people in the hallway.

"Mulder! Mulder stop! He is being treated. The doctors don't want anyone near him, not right now." He begged him, reaching him again and pushing him back once more, which just made Mulder angrier.

"I swear to GOD Sir!" Mulder raged, pointing an accusing finger at Skinner, but Skinner held his ground.

"Mulder! I'm _ordering_ you to stand down!" Skinner shouted. Mulder glared into his eyes and tried to decide whether to ignore him or not. "That was an ORDER. Do you want to get your ass arrested?!"

He felt his breathing start to slow, knowing that Skinner would not let him near Tom. He had to follow orders whether he liked them or not.

"Dammit." Mulder finally moved back. Tears now stinging his eyes, he was defeated. He ran a nervous hand through his hair and then pressed his hands against the hospital walls, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Mulder.." Skinner started in a sympathetic tone, seeing his distress, "I get it, I do. But he needs to treated and then you can speak to him later. I know its frustrating, believe me I wouldn't mind killing the son of a bitch myself." He snarled.

"Who-is-he?" Mulder said slowly in a low voice, keeping his eyes closed and trying to remain focused, but as Scully was being operated on the next room, he was finding it difficult.

"Well, his name is definitely not Tom, that's for sure. But we don't know yet, he's not speaking." Skinner said with a sigh.

"He will talk, _when I get my hands on him_." Mulder snapped, his voice threatening.

Skinner watched as he opened his eyes and sank into the nearest chair, raised his hands to his face and held them there, deep in thought.

"How long is she going to be in surgery for?" Skinner asked after a moment.

"I don't know." Mulder said with a sigh.

"Mulder you've had a hell of an afternoon, why don't you go home and get some rest and a change of clothes." Skinner said sympathetically, but Mulder just ignored him.

Skinner waited for a response, but it didn't come.

 _He got the impression that Sophie would be alone when she got home later.._

* * *

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	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Georgetown Memorial Hospital – Four Hours Later

Mulder was on his sixth cup of coffee as he paced the floors outside Scully's room. He blinked as his eyes threatened to close, the horrors of the day creeping up on him now, but he took another sip of coffee as he waited for the news that she was all right. _That's all he wanted._

Finally, her Doctor came out of the room, pulling off his surgical mask. Mulder felt his heart rise to his throat as he saw him and suddenly felt incredibly nervous.

"Please… please just tell me that she is going to be ok..." Mulder blurted out, surprising even himself.

"Yes Agent Mulder, she is going to be fine…" The Doctor said with a small smile. Mulder let out a long sigh of relief as the Doctor carried on. "We are going to have to keep her in for the next few days as her wound heals, then she will need to be off her feet for a week or so, or at least not out in the field."

Mulder nodded, happy tears springing in his eyes as he heard the good news. _He would do anything he could to keep her safe._

"Of course. Can I see her?"

"She's sleeping right now, but you can see her if you want. Please try not to wake her." The Doctor said, then gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. "Oh I needed to ask you, is there any family we should have contacted?"

"I gave her Mother's details to the receptionist earlier."

"Great. Well, don't stay long, she needs her rest." The Doctor said, then walked down the hall.

"Thank you." Mulder said again, then made his way towards the door.

He pushed it open and went inside, her room now quiet apart from the sound of her monitors beeping. He felt a tightening in his chest as he saw her, laying there so peacefully. She looked so pale, her red hair a stark contrast now to her complexion. He walked towards her bed then reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. She didn't respond.

"I'm so sorry Scully, for everything I said. It was wrong. I could have lost you today…" He said, his voice breaking slightly with emotion, "..I know you were only looking out for me."

Taking a deep sigh of relief, satisfied that she was now safe from danger, he leant over and kissed her on the forehead, brushing a stray piece of red hair from her eyes.

* * *

Mulder switched on his phone as he stepped out of the doors to the Hospital, the humidity in the air this evening hitting him with force.

 _He felt as if he had stepped right into a microwave oven._

He was so exhausted, only wanting his bed. As his phone came on, he heard the alert sounds beeping furiously at him, over and over. Missed calls, messages. His heart started to sink.

 _Sophie._

For the first time since the operation started, he was thinking about her. But his thoughts weren't pleasant as he saw the number of times she had tried to call him.

He frowned as he walked towards the taxi rank, reading the messages. The first few messages started off innocently, quickly turning desperate and frantic.

 _"Are you ignoring me? What have I done!?"_

He scrolled down as he hailed a taxi. Sophie had dropped him off at work that morning and his car was still in the FBI parking lot. The taxi pulled up to him and he climbed inside.

 _"Hello? What's wrong?! Why aren't you replying?"_

 _..._

 _"WHERE ARE YOU!?"_

Mulder couldn't deal with this right now, not after everything that had happened today.

"Buddy, are you all right? You've got blood all over you." The taxi driver asked suddenly, taking him by surprise and making him look up from his phone. He blinked, trying to focus, but he was so tired.

"Thanks for your concern, but it's not my blood." Mulder said in a low voice.

"Where do you wanna go?" The taxi driver asked, looking him over again suspiciously.

"Alexandria please - Hegal Place."

"Sure." The taxi driver said, turning back to the road ahead as he pulled out of the taxi rank.

Mulder sighed and tried to ignore his phone, but then it started to ring _._ Closing his eyes for a moment he considered not answering it..

"You gonna answer that?" The taxi driver asked. Mulder frowned. He had never had such a nosy taxi driver before. _Just his luck._

"May be.." Mulder said in a low voice.

"The wife?" The taxi driver asked with an amused chuckle. Mulder watched as he gave him a knowing look through the rear view mirror.

 _Clearly Mulder was his most interesting passenger today…_

But Mulder was just about to throw the phone out of the window when he decided it was probably best to speak to her now and not later. His heart filling with dread, he answered it.

"Fox?"

Her voice was irritated.

"Sophie, listen, something big happened today and…"

"Why haven't you been answering your phone? Where the hell are you Fox!? It's 6.30!" She exploded, not listening to what he had to say. This made Mulder angry, but he tried to understand her frustration.

"Sophie, please just listen to me…" He started.

"Are you having an affair Fox!?" She demanded. Mulder opened his mouth to speak, clearly shocked at her out of the blue accusation. "With Scully? You love her don't you!"

Mulder paused, unsure of how to answer the question.

"Of course I'm not having an affair Sophie! Listen to me and I can explain everything!" He said, his voice laced with frustration and disbelief.

"Don't you speak to me like that! You have been ignoring me all afternoon! And after that stunt she pulled last night, it wouldn't surprise me if she had feelings for you!"

Mulder sighed heavily, closing his eyes momentarily. _He really didn't have time for this crap._

"Sophie.." He started, trying to contain his anger. "Scully was stabbed today."

There was a silence on the other end as she mulled this over. Mulder waited for her to apologise, but she didn't.

"I'm just leaving the hospital. The man who was trying to kill us nearly succeeded in killing her. I wasn't ignoring you for any other reason than I was at the hospital, with my phone turned off."

She was still silent. Mulder could picture her now, her face red and her eyes puffy from crying. She was quite a bit younger than him, and clearly less mature. He still couldn't believe her accusation about him and Scully. He didn't understand why she felt threatened by her. Of course, they were very close, but he was dating _her,_ not Scully.

Mulder frowned heavily. _She had to realise that Scully and his work were very important to him._

Finally, she spoke.

"Oh my gosh." She breathed. "I'm so sorry Fox, I've been a total bitch. Let me know how long you're going to be, I'll fix you up something to eat and we can talk about it."

Mulder paused, wondering whether he should accept her apology or if he should leave her hanging. She had just accused him of having an affair.

 _He was not going to forget that._

But he was too tired to get into another argument, so he let it slide for now.

"I'll be about thirty minutes. I have to go." He said, putting the phone down.

But didn't want to have dinner and _talk about it._

He just wanted to go to bed and forget this awful day..

* * *

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	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Georgetown Memorial Hospital, 10.07pm

Dana Scully woke up from her groggy deep sleep, the pain killers and with drawl symptoms of the anaesthesia wearing down on her hard. She frowned in confusion, trying to get her bearings. There was a dull pain in her lower abdomen and she winced as she moved a little, quickly deciding not to do that again.

Being a medical doctor made it easier to deal with operations and hospital stays as she knew that was going on, however it was still horrendous waking up after an operation. It didn't make the pain any easier.

"Mmm.. Mul-Mulder.." She called out weakly, wondering if he was with her or not. He would usually be right there, by her side. She felt a hand close over hers, but she knew it wasn't Mulder's. "M-Mom?"

"Yes sweetheart, I'm right here." Margaret said, squeezing Scully's hand in hers gently. She looked down at her daughter with loving eyes.

She never stopped worrying about her, especially now that she was her only daughter. _She loved her so much that it hurt._ When she had received the call earlier she had been out of the state, visiting an old family friend. She had drove back as fast as she could, but at least she knew that Mulder had been there for her when she couldn't be.

"How are you feeling?" Margaret asked her daughter as she saw Dana's eyes flutter open slowly, a pained expression on her face.

"Not bad Mom." She said through gritted teeth, lying slightly as she didn't want her to worry. Scully winced again as the pain in her stomach got worse. "Where's Mulder Mom?" She asked immediately, worried that something had happened to him. "Is he all right? Where is he?"

"Shhh, Dana. The nurse said he has been here most of the day, waiting for you to come out of surgery. But when you did come out, you were still asleep. I think he checked on you then went home, he must have been exhausted."

"How long was I… _what time is it_?" Scully asked, her eyes now moving around the hospital room. She finally rested her eyes on the reassuring sight of her Mother.

"It's just gone ten p.m. You were in surgery for over four hours. He stayed here the whole time." Margaret said, smiling as a warm feeling filled her heart as she thought about how devoted Mulder was to her daughter. "He gave my details to the hospital, I'm so sorry I couldn't have been here sooner."

 _A Mother's guilt was never ending.._

"It's all right Mom. You're here now." Scully said, smiling a small smile and squeezing her Mother's hand back now. She could see the worried expression on her face. "Don't worry Mom, I'm all right."

"I'll never stop worrying about you Dana, for as long as I live." She said, her eyes glistening with tears. "Tell me what happened?"

Scully sighed weakly and closed her eyes for a moment, reliving the moment that Tom had stabbed her in the side. She remembered a gun firing, which she assumed was Mulder's although she couldn't be sure.

"Someone was trying to kill us Mom." She said with teary eyes. Margaret's face was suddenly full of fear. "I met him as a stranger, he seemed nice. He was very handsome and charming. It turns out he was just flirting with me to get me alone, to kill me."

Margaret was silent, feeling pain in her heart for her daughter. Scully blinked a tear down her cheek.

"Mom, Mulder has a girlfriend." She blurted out suddenly, taking Margaret by surprise. She watched as the tears rolled down her face and she saw what she had known all along. _Dana loved Fox._

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

"No Mom, it's not like that." Scully said, defending herself immediately, her face flushing red. Margaret kept her mouth shut and nodded, staying supportive.

 _But she knew her daughter better than she even knew herself..._

"Oh? Then what is it?"

"I thought that she was the one who was trying to kill us. I never trusted her and I told Skinner about her and…" She started, her voice cracking with tears. She was rarely this emotional with anyone apart from her Mother, "..it turns out that I was wrong. Mulder was so disappointed with me. He was _so_ angry."

Margaret felt her heart break for Dana and she threw her arms around her, holding her close but taking care not to touch her wound. Scully reached her arms up around her Mother's neck as if her life depended on it. The stitches pulled slightly but she didn't care. She needed her Mother.

Margaret knew how much falling out with Mulder would upset her daughter. She had seen it once a few years ago, when she had been sick, paranoia affecting her mind. It was something to do with the case they were working on, she didn't understand the ins and outs of it exactly, but Scully had been convinced that Mulder was working against her. She had come to her in fear, heartbroken and afraid of the one person that she trusted with her life.

 _Yes, she knew how much her daughter treasured her relationship with Mulder._

"I'm sure that he forgives you sweetheart. You were only looking out for him, rightly or wrongly." Margaret soothed into her ear.

Scully nodded through her tears, remembering now that Mulder had told her that he _did_ forgive her when they had been waiting for the ambulance. But it still didn't make her feel any better about herself. She knew deep down that she would never like or trust Sophie, _because she loved Mulder..._

"Now, please Dana, you have to rest." Margaret pleaded after Scully's tears had subsided, her motherly instinct taking over. She wanted to protect her daughter. Even if she was a brave, independent FBI agent, she was still her baby. She helped her lay back down in the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead. Scully settled back down on her pillows.

"I love you." Margaret whispered, brushing a piece of damp hair away from her cheek. "It'll all be all right. I promise."

Scully sighed heavily as she closed her eyes, trying to get some more rest.

"I'm going to tell the nurse that you're awake." Margaret whispered gently.

But Scully was so tired that she was already falling back to sleep.

* * *

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 **I love Mummy Scully xxxx :(**


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Georgetown Memorial Hospital, 3.36am

Scully placed a hand on her stomach as the pain woke her up.

She had turned over in bed as she slept, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Dammit." She cursed under her breath, gritting her teeth as she pain seared across her abdomen. She frowned as the pain slowly subsided, rolling onto her back. Hot tears sprung in her eyes and she looked around her, the darkness of the hospital room telling her that it was late at night. She needed more pain relief.

Reaching over to her call button on the side of her bed, wincing in pain again she pressed it and waited for the nurse.

It didn't take long for one to come.

"Miss Scully?" A young blonde nurse with her hair loosely tied up came into the room, speaking in a hushed voice.

"I… I moved over in my sleep. I think my stitches may have been pulled." Scully winced, bearing her teeth again in frustration. The nurse looked down at her with worry.

"All right, I'll have a look at them."

"Thank you." Scully said weakly, closing her eyes and trying to relax. The nurse pulled the sheet down and then lifted up her gown. Scully took a deep breath as she pulled back the dressing, examining the fresh wound.

"It needs cleaning. Let me give you some more opioids." She said, checking Scully's IV. Scully sighed with relief as the pain killers kicked in. "I'll be right back." The nurse said, quickly moving out of the room.

She closed her eyes as she felt more comfortable, before opening them again as she had a creeping feeling that someone was watching her.

Scully blinked, unsure if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

There, standing outside her room, she saw an outline of a familiar woman, staring right at her.

She swallowed nervously, a terrifying feeling trickling up her spine. The woman was too familiar, _why was she staring at her like that?_

Suddenly she recognised her.

She gasped in shock, the realisation hitting her like a ton of bricks.

 _Sophie..._

There she was, clear as day, glaring at her through the glass. What the hell was she doing here? _And why was she staring at her like that!?_

Scully shook her head in disbelief and blinked a couple of times again, wondering if it was the drugs making her paranoid.

Suddenly her nurse burst back into the room, making her jump. Scully's troubled expression obviously concerned her as she asked her what was wrong.

"That… that woman…" Scully blurted out, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. The nurse frowned with concern.

"What woman?" She asked.

"There's a woman outside my room! She's staring at me!" Scully exclaimed, but the nurse was now standing in the way, shielding the area of the window that Sophie had appeared in. Scully felt her body start to tremble.

There was something about the way that Sophie had glared at her, _her face so menacing and so different than she had seen it before..._

"Miss Scully, there's no one there. It's just myself on the ward tonight." The nurse said lightly, but she turned around to check. Scully held her breath, waiting for Sophie to appear again, but to her shock – she wasn't there.

Scully opened her mouth to protest, _she had just been there…_

"I think you need more rest. Let me clean this wound quickly and I'll give you something to help you sleep." The nurse said gently, raising the sheet again and pulling away the dressing.

Scully was stunned into silence. She couldn't believe what was happening. _Was she going crazy?_

"I hear you went through quite an ordeal today, no wonder your mind is playing tricks on you. I can assure you that you are safe here."

Scully opened her mouth to object again, to say that her mind didn't play tricks on her, that she was a rational, sensible person. But she kept quiet as the Nurse tended to her wound. She frowned in thought. Why would she be here when it was the middle of the night?

May be it _was_ the drugs…

"There you go." The nurse said, placing a new dressing over the stitches. Scully forced a smile and tried to calm her racing heart. "Take these, they will help you sleep."

Scully wondered if she should have any more drugs, but she took them anyway. _At least if she was asleep she wouldn't be seeing things…_

The nurse helped her swallow the tablets down with water then pumped up her pillows. She gave her a smile then left the room, switching off the light and closing the door.

* * *

Scully lay in the darkness, her whole body tense. Her mind was racing, trying to explain what she had just seen.

She didn't want to look at the window again. She was too afraid...

But curiosity got the better of her.

She had to be sure that there really was no one there so that she could sleep. Slowly, she turned her head back towards the door, then across to the glass window.

She felt her heart skip a beat as sure enough, she saw Sophie again, this time deep in conversation with a man dressed all in black and wearing a beanie hat, nearly pulled over his eyes. There was no way to work out who he was.

Scully gasped in horror as she watched them, their conversation seemed to be heated. _Surely it couldn't be…_

"NURSE!" She screamed, the fear now taking control of her. "NURSE!" She called out again desperately. Scully couldn't believe it. She had been right all along. Sophie was _dirty._

"Miss Scully!" The nurse exclaimed, her face shocked at her outburst as she flung open the door and switched on the light again.

As soon as she entered, Sophie and the man had disappeared. Scully must have only looked away for a few seconds, _surely they couldn't have left that quickly…_

"Listen to me! I'm an FBI agent and someone is trying to kill my partner and I. I just saw a woman outside my room, talking to man dressed in black. I have reason to believe that they have something to do with this!" Scully blurted out, talking fast. She felt the urge to run after them, her trained instinct taking over, but hot tears of frustration sprung in her eyes as she knew she couldn't do anything, she was stuck in this bed.

The nurse looked at her with a shocked expression, taking hold of her shoulders and trying to get her to calm down. Scully hadn't noticed but she was now nearly sitting upright in bed.

She had now forgotten about the pain.

"Please! Calm down! I was told all about your situation today and that someone tried to kill you. But what you're saying can't be true Agent Scully because I'm the only person on this ward tonight and the man who tried to kill you was here being treated earlier today, and now he is in police custody!" The nurse said desperately.

Scully shook her head in frustration as she fought back angry tears.

"Please!" She begged. "My partner will be in danger, you HAVE to contact him for me!"

"Listen to me, you're going to wake up the whole ward. You have to keep your voice down!" The nurse snapped firmly, giving her a look that meant she was not going to listen to her. Scully felt completely useless. She knew that she wasn't crazy.

"I understand that you don't believe me, but I'm _begging_ you…" Scully exclaimed.

"I'm going to give you a shot and you're going to go to sleep."

Scully felt her heart skip a beat.

"NO!" She cried out.

"Please, it's for your own good. You're going to pull your stitches out." The nurse said sympathetically. Scully couldn't believe this. She wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"No! Don't!" Scully shouted out, tears now rolling down her cheeks.

She _needed_ to contact Mulder, he was in danger. She couldn't let anything happen to him...

The nurse grabbed her arm firmly and pushed the syringe in easily. Scully tried her best to fight back but the pain killers she had just given her, along with the sleeping tablets had made her body weak and almost unresponsive. The nurse sighed sympathetically as Scully fought the wave of tiredness that washed over her as the medication ran through her veins. She heard the nurse's voice in her ears, but she sounded far, far away.

"I'm sorry. I just can't have you waking up the whole ward. You'll feel better in the morning..."

* * *

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 **Poor Scully..**


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

The Next Morning 

Mulder had received a phone call from the hospital that Scully had been frantic in the night, mentioning his name and fearing for his safety.

He was on his way to the hospital, Sophie with him.

They had just shared a difficult night together after the events of the day before, the fact that she had accused him of having an affair had caused a heated argument. He had been angry, but they had made up before going to sleep.

He had woken up to her making him breakfast, which he appreciated very much, but not before the phone rang, telling him the worrying news about Scully.

 _He really hoped that she was all right._

"I'm sure she will be all right Fox." Sophie said, echoing his worries as she linked her arm through his as they walked through the hospital doors.

"Right." Mulder said in a small voice, unconvinced. He couldn't help but worry.

He made his way towards the reception and she nodded and let them through. Mulder felt a tightening in his chest as he got nearer to her. _He didn't want her to be distressed.._

As they made their way around the corner and towards her room, he looked through the glass and saw her sitting upright in her bed, staring out of the window aimlessly. She looked almost out of it, as if she had been given a lot of drugs.

 _Mulder felt his heart ache for her._

"I'll go in first." Mulder said to Sophie gently, turning to her and seeing a slight wave of uncertainty go over her face, as if she didn't want him to. Mulder wasn't going to put up with any of her jealousy. "I just don't want to overwhelm her." Mulder said, sensing her thoughts and reassuring her. Sophie nodded silently and gave him a brave, supportive smile.

* * *

He made his way into the hospital room slowly and she still didn't turn to look at him, even when he shut the door. Taking a few steps towards her, he saw how lost and fragile she looked.

"Hey." He said in a low voice, deep in his chest.

 _She still didn't turn to him._

Mulder frowned with concern and made his way over to her bedside, sitting down on the chair.

"Scully?" He asked, and she finally turned towards him, her eyes glistening with tears. Mulder saw her clock Sophie in the window and he was shocked at her expression as she saw her. Reaching for her hand he tried to get her to tell him what was wrong, but she seemed to be holding back. Mulder glanced over to Sophie to see if she had caught Scully's death stare, and she had. Sophie looked upset but Mulder tried to reassure her with his eyes.

"Scully? I got a phone call saying you'd been up in the night, frightened and asking about me." Mulder said gently, turning back to her as she finally tore her eyes away from Sophie then rested them on his face, her body relaxing immediately.

"Yes." Scully said simply, her eyes welling with tears again. Mulder had never seen her like this before and it was scaring him.

" _Scully_ …" He said with concern, "talk to me…"

"I saw someone." Scully said, finding the words difficult to say. She felt so drugged up that it was difficult to act normal. She was very aware that Sophie was outside, her appearance now normal and her face soft and full of what looked like concern.

 _But Scully couldn't trust her._

As she laced her fingers through Mulder's warm and comforting hand, she broke her gaze away from his face and looked down.

The way he stroked the back of her thumb with his own, she felt her stomach flutter with _butterflies..._

"It was stupid really." She continued. "I guess I was just being paranoid. But it seemed so real Mulder… she… she was staring at me…" She choked, her tears now falling freely.

She couldn't bear to tell Mulder about who she had seen.

She was still unsure if it really was her mind playing tricks on her or not, but now she had woken up and the morning light was harsh in her eyes, she was more and more convinced that she had been hallucinating. The drugs in her system were also making her feel groggy and weak. All she wanted to do was sleep.

Mulder looked at her with great concern and confusion. _Who was she talking about?_

"She? Who's she Scully?" He asked gently. She let out a long breath and sank down into her pillows. He hated to see her cry, it was a rare occurrence and it always hit him like a ton of bricks.

"It doesn't matter." Scully said in a small voice as she brushed the tears away from her face with her free hand.

"Do you mean Tom? You had a nightmare about him?"

"No Mulder… it doesn't matter…" She said, her eyes closing as she tried to stop herself from crying. "I just… I just saw someone at the window to my room. I thought it was… oh it doesn't matter…"

Mulder felt heavy sadness in his heart for her. She was so emotional and had obviously been through a great ordeal. He wanted to comfort her so badly, but he was aware that Sophie was outside and would be watching. However, this was Scully and she needed his reassurance.

"Scully it's all right, I'm fine." Mulder said softly, raising his hand from hers and lacing his fingers around her neck, then stroking her cheek with his thumb. Scully enjoyed the touch very much, it immediately calmed her down.

"Thank you for coming to see me." She said softly, her eyelids flickering as she fought to stay alert, as Mulder's touch sent a tingle down her spine.

"Of course Scully. Everything is going to be all right." He soothed and he smiled a little as she seemed to relax. "I'm going to question Tom today, then we can get to the bottom of this."

"Mulder, I'm worried that he was working with someone. That this isn't over…" Scully said with difficulty, but was soon cut short...

Sophie burst into the room, hurrying over to them. Mulder turned back at her in surprise and Scully's eyes opened wide as she heard her come in, stopping her mid-sentence. She immediately felt her body stiffen and to her sadness, Mulder whipped his hand away from her face.

Sophie's eyes bared down on them, seemingly upset that Mulder had been getting so close to her. Scully felt a sickening feeling in her stomach as she was so close to her and she wanted her out of the room immediately.

"Scully, how are you feeling?" She asked, her voice full of fake concern. Scully bit her tongue.

She didn't want to say anything to this vile woman. _She had tried, she had really tried to accept her, but she just couldn't trust her._

"She's a little shaken up, she had rough night last night." Mulder said as Sophie placed a hand on his shoulder possessively. He cleared his throat and looked back at Scully sympathetically. She didn't need him to tell her what was going on here…

"It's all right. You go." Scully said with difficulty, her heart calling out for him to stay, but she didn't want to cause an argument between them. She was still so worried for Mulder's safety, but she had to tell herself that it was just the drugs and the loss of blood that had caused her to see Sophie, staring at her through the glass.

"Are you sure?" Mulder asked with concern.

"Yes, you have a lot of work to do." Scully said, forcing a small smile.

"Come on Fox, she needs her rest." Sophie said, not meeting Scully's eyes. Scully felt her stomach tighten and the hairs pricked up on the back of her neck as she watched her wrap her arms around Mulder's shoulders.

"All right, as long as you are okay." Mulder said in a small voice, turning back to Scully. "I hate to leave you when you're so upset."

Scully smiled weakly and nodded.

"Just be careful Mulder." She said in a whisper.

Mulder paused, wondering why she had said this, but then brushed it off, thinking that she was still on edge.

"I will be." He replied softly. Scully blinked back tears as he left her side and she felt a coldness wash over her. She wanted him to stay so badly. Sophie had taken him away too fast. The thought of him being at the office on his own made her sad. She felt useless.

And then she watched them leave, Sophie's arm wrapped around his waist tightly.

Then she was alone.

* * *

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 _Sorry it took me so long! I went away this weekend._

 _Hope you are all still enjoying it!_


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Eight Days Later – 5.50pm

Scully packed up her final things in her bags, relieved to finally be getting out of the hospital. She was desperate to get home and relax in her own bed, which she missed like crazy.

It had been a long eight days in the hospital, her wound now fully healed. Mulder had been to see her every other day, talking to her about the case and the arrest of Tom – or not Tom as they now found out. His name was Jason and he had been hired by some unknown person to assassinate them both. He still wasn't telling them who he worked for, but Mulder's paranoid mind had thought that it was someone in the military.

Scully of course hadn't agreed with him, but she had listened and nodded in agreement when he had thrown his crazy theories at her as he sat on her bedside, rambling away about his day and everything that had happened. She had really enjoyed seeing him as she had missed him terribly. She knew that he also hated working without her, feeling almost as if he had lost a limb. She had sometimes just lay there, listening to his voice but not really listening to his words, and once he had actually sent her to sleep. She had apologised the next day of course, but he hadn't been bothered. _"Just glad you are getting the rest you need."_ He had said, with that loving, caring smile he always had for her.

But now it was time to go home and back to work the next day. She was itching to get back so they could get started on a new case and put all of this horror behind them. As she made her way out of the hospital room she thanked her nurse for all her care. She then made her way towards the front doors, where she caught a taxi.

If Sophie hadn't been around, she knew that Mulder would probably have picked her up and took her home himself. But, such was life. She was going to have to put up with that woman, _even if it killed her._

She had nearly forgotten about the first night in the hospital, seeing as Mulder had not been in danger while she had been in hospital and she had not seen her again. She was glad that Mulder managed to sneak to the hospital in the afternoons without her in tow.

The taxi pulled up outside her apartment block and she made her way inside. Her heeled boots clicked along the pavement as she rushed inside, the heavens opening as a thunder storm erupted above her. She scrambled for her keys as the rain poured down, then made her way into the lobby, then towards her apartment which she then unlocked and went inside.

Looking around her and switching on the light, a roar of thunder crashed above her. But the light quickly went out, and Scully cursed under her breath as she tried the switch again. She realized that it was a power cut. Just what she needed on her first night back in her home.

She sighed heavily and locked the door behind her, making her way towards the bedroom in the semi darkness. She had no groceries in the house and no power, what else could she do?

Placing her bags down at the side of her bed, she stripped off her wet damp clothes. Pulling off her boots and slipping into her night gown, she climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her, falling into a dreamy doze as a flash of lightning lit up her bedroom. She had never been afraid of thunder and she loved getting cozy when the weather raged outside.

She was so happy to be back in her own bed. _It felt so good._

* * *

Scully awoke to the sound of her smoke alarm beeping. She frowned in annoyance as it filled her ears. Sitting upright in her bed, her hair disheveled and her make up smudged slightly, she climbed out from under the warm covers and went to switch on the light. Thankfully, it now turned on. But her smoke alarm was still not working.

She went over to her bedroom door and pulled on her dressing gown which hung on the hook, then made her way into the kitchen. She grabbed one of her dining chairs and climbed up onto it carefully, then reached up to the ceiling to pull the alarm down. She checked it over, then realised a wire had been pulled out. Frowning in confusion, she put it back in the right place then fixed it back to the ceiling. Thankfully, it stopped beeping.

As she climbed down from the chair, taking care again not to overexert herself or pull anything, she opened the refrigerator and peered inside.

 _There was nothing._

She checked the time on the oven, but that was also flashing because of the power cut.

She had no idea what time it was. Making her way into the living room she saw her wall clock.

 **4.05am  
**

She ran a hand through her hair and decided that she would definitely not get back to sleep. She would pick up something to eat on her way to work, then she would get some groceries on her way home. Right now, she just wanted a bath.

Making her way to the bathroom, she placed the plug into the tub and started to run the hot water. Feeling it between her fingers as it got warmer, she suddenly heard the phone ring.

Scully frowned in surprise. Who would be calling her at this hour? _Mulder?_

She waited to see if it stopped ringing, but it carried on. She turned off the tap and walked into the sitting room and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" She asked in wonder.

"Dana? Dana this is A.D. Skinner."

She felt a tightening in her chest as Skinner's voice crashed into her ear, frantic and fearful. She knew immediately that something was wrong.

 _And she knew it was about Mulder._

"Sir? What's wrong? What's happened?" She pressed.

"I've been trying to call you! Where have you been!?" He exclaimed. Scully felt her heart skip a beat as she felt her world come crashing down.

She had not heard the phone ringing…

"There was a storm and I lost power, I'm sorry Sir."

"Oh god…" He said, exasperated. "That explains it. I called your cell too, I thought you were getting out of the hospital today!?"

"I did Sir, at about 6pm. I'm so sorry, I must have turned off my cell." She said, frowning in thought and trying to concentrate.

"Agent Scully… I need you to report to the office immediately."

She froze. She knew this was bad.

"What's happened? It's Mulder isn't it." She blurted out.

"Yes, he's gone missing. We haven't seen him since 2pm yesterday. He said he was going on vacation."

Scully paused, unable to believe what she had just heard.

 _"Vacation?!"_ She spat. _  
_

"Yes I know, I thought the same. This is so unlike him, I can't even remember the last time he had a day off. And I have to admit… I have been doing some more digging on his girlfriend…" Skinner said, his voice full of dread. Scully clutched the phone tightly, unable to breathe. "-Turns out that she may be more involved in this than we realised. You were right Scully, she's dirty."

She could feel her heart pounding in her head. She knew it. She had always known it. But now she felt as if she could have prevented this. The guilt was overpowering.

"And he's gone on… _vacation_ … with _her?!_ " She asked in horror.

"Yes." Skinner said in a low voice. "Turns out that she may have been working with Jason all along. I've got a team going to question him again right now, but we need to find him, like, yesterday."

"He's… he's not answering his phone?" Scully asked, hot tears springing in her eyes as she suddenly had a horrendous vision of Mulder, knocked unconscious in a cold ditch somewhere, that bitch laughing over him.

"No, I'm so sorry Dana.."

"I'll be right there Sir." She said quickly, putting the phone down and running into the bedroom, pulling on the first skirt and blouse she could find in her wardrobe, not even checking if it matched the jacket she then put over it. She slipped on her heels and grabbed her keys, gun and her purse, running out of the apartment and then into the now humid morning.

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	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Mulder couldn't remember how he had got here.

He was laying face down on the floor, his hands handcuffed behind his back and his feet tied together also. He grunted in pain as the room swayed around him. He had no idea where he was.

"Urghhh.." He moaned as he drifted in and out of consciousness. _Had someone drugged him?_ He couldn't remember anything. "Help…" He called out weakly, hoping that someone was around to hear him.

He couldn't see anyone and he could hardly move.

"Shhhh darling."

Mulder frowned in confusion, hearing a woman's voice behind him.

"Who's there?" He asked in shock, realisation dawning on him. "Sophie? Sophie is that you? You have to help me!"

"That's surprising, I thought you would have said her name instead." She replied, her voice now low and menacing. Mulder couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Why wasn't she helping him?_

"Sophie… I think we have been kidnapped. You have to… you have to call Scully. My phone… it's in my pocket…" He said with difficulty, coughing momentarily. His chest hurt, as if he had been punched hard earlier, but again, he had no memory of it.

"Shut up!" She suddenly shouted, her voice full of anger. Mulder tried to look around to see her as his mind was running around in confused circles, not sure what was going on, when he felt the pointed end of her high heeled boot kick him hard in the side, making him groan in pain.

For moment, he couldn't breathe as the pain in his chest was overwhelming.

May be he had cracked a rib, he wasn't sure.

Mulder closed his eyes and frowned in weakness, finally realising what was happening. He hadn't wanted to believe it, _but Scully had been right all along._

He shook his head in defeat, a mixture of fury and slight embarrassment flowing over him.

 _How could he have been so blind?_

"So, Scully was right. You _are_ trying to kill me. All this time Sophie, but - but _why_?" He asked, exasperated, but then she kicked him again. "Arghh! All right! Knock it off!" He shouted in frustration.

"DON'T say her name AGAIN!"

"All right, all right I won't! I won't!" He blurted out desperately.

"Listen to me Fox, it's ok…" She soothed, her manner changing immediately. Mulder couldn't believe this psycho. "I was sent to kill you, I was sent for you and Jason was sent for her. But I actually _did_ fall in love with you, I mean that." She cooed, and Mulder flinched as she knelt down by his side and ran a hand through his hair gently. Then, she stood up abruptly, her tone changing once again. "But I never want to hear that woman's name again! You hear me! Because you are clearly in love with each other!"

Mulder almost laughed at the ridiculousness of her, but he told himself it was probably better to hold it back. He didn't want to risk pissing her off even more than she already had...

The room was dark and dank and he had no idea where he was and he assumed that neither did anyone else.

He was going to die here, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Sophie..." He breathed weakly, "-You don't have to do this, you can let me go and then you won't have to live with the guilt. You can do the right thing Sophie." Mulder said, trying to reason with her, but he opened his eyes wide in shock as he heard the unmistakable sound of her heels walking away from him, clipping along the concrete floor. She was leaving, ignoring him.

"SOPHIE!" He shouted out, his heart racing. "SOPHIE! COME BACK HERE!"

But then the sound of a heavy door slamming filled the room, echoing around the walls.

 _He should have listened to Scully…_

* * *

FBI Headquarters, Washington D.C.

Situation Room – 5.30am

Scully stared at the details on the laptop of Sophie with sad, angry eyes. They still didn't know her real name, but she was bad news. It turned out that she had changed her name numerous times, and was a suspect in a triple homicide. Her many personas showed how insane she really was, she must have changed her appearance numerous times. Scully glared at one of the photos of her with bright pink hair, then looked into her eyes. She suspected she had had work done to change her face, no one could pull that off that easily...

Scully was _so_ mad.

 _How could they have missed it?_

She felt her heart race with trepidation as every minute passed, each one quicker than the last as she felt as if she was one step further away from saving Mulder. She couldn't believe this was happening. Skinner was talking to some other Agents who were helping.

"They will be questioning Jason in the next half hour. It's the best we could do, seeing as it's so early in the morning.'" Skinner said with a heavy sigh as he came over to her, hands in his pockets. "Dana, are you all right?" He asked, noticing her emotions were running high.

"Is that a trick question?" She asked breathlessly, raising a hand to her face and pressing her fingers into her temples.

"Look I know this is difficult…" Skinner started, trying to be sympathetic.

"No Sir. This is not just difficult, this is ridiculous. How could we have missed this! It doesn't make any sense!" She cried out, angry tears glistening in her eyes as she reared on Skinner, causing the other Agents in the room to look at her with wide eyes.

"I know. I don't get it either, but this isn't the time to think about that. We need to find him."

"No shit." She mumbled under her breath, just out of earshot.

She had already told Skinner what she had seen at the hospital. She felt so foolish for not mentioning it to him earlier, but she had wanted to believe that she wasn't evil. She had tried her best to accept her and not upset Mulder. Also, she had been on heavy medication... but she knew that was no excuse. She still felt slightly responsible, although Skinner had told her that this was not her fault...

Closing her eyes for a moment she tried to think.

 _Think, Dana, think…_

"Can we trace his cell phone?" She asked finally.

"As he isn't answering, we can't. We need to try and find out who last saw them."

"Did Mulder go home before leaving?" She asked, frowning in thought. Skinner shrugged.

"I'm sorry Dana, I simply don't know." He said with a sigh.

"I can't… I can't just…. Sit here!" She exclaimed, rising from her seat and pacing back and forth. She crossed her arms and stared out of the window of the office. She needed to do something.

"Why don't you check out his apartment?" Skinner asked. She turned to him slowly.

"Yes I think I will. Let me know what that asshole Jason says." She said, relieved that she had something to do and somewhere to go.

Skinner watched as she left quickly, heading for the parking lot, but then he felt panic hit him.

"Dana… wait!" He called after her. But she was already long gone. He sighed in frustration as he had stupidly let her leave, without a warning. If Sophie had Mulder, someone was still after her as well. It was his responsibility to keep his Agents safe. "Dammit…" He said in frustration.

But he knew deep down that he wouldn't have been able to stop her anyway.

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	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Mulder's Apartment

The elevator doors pulled open and Scully walked along the familiar corridor briskly. She could feel her heart raging inside her chest. Both Mulder and Sophie's cars were gone from outside. She felt the tension in her body building as every minute passed.

As she walked along the corridor, her heels clipping along the floor she remembered how many times she had walked along here. The memories were endless. She didn't want this to be the last time she would walk along this corridor alone. _She wanted to see Mulder back in this apartment…_

She unlocked his door and took a deep breath, knowing that seeing Sophie's presence inside the apartment would upset her, but as she opened the door she was shocked and surprised to see that there was seemingly no presence of her at all.

The apartment was so tidy and she couldn't see any of Sophie's belongings. She frowned in anger and suspicion as she knew that Sophie had planned all of this. She had obviously been planning their disappearance for weeks.

Mulder's apartment was never this clean and tidy. She walked into the sitting room and over to the fish tank. She sighed heavily and fed his fish quickly, then went into the bedroom.

Everything was tidy. She searched every cupboard, drawer and in the wardrobe, all she could find was Mulder's clothes. There were no clues at all about where they could be.

She felt hot, angry tears sting her eyes as she now pulled the drawer out of the chest and onto the floor, pulling out every piece of clothing she could and trying to find something _… anything.._

But there was nothing. She knew this. Sophie was a professional assassin.

Scully looked down at Mulder's blue shirt that was now in her hands and felt her bottom lip tremble with tears as she felt useless. She slumped down on his bed and pulled the shirt close to her heart, taking a deep breath as tears ran down her cheeks in sadness.

 _What was she going to do?_

Suddenly her phone rang, and she jumped in shock and tried to gather herself. She answered it and saw that it was Skinner. She stood up immediately, brushing the tears from her eyes.

"Agent Scully? We spoke to Jason." He said in a firm voice.

"And?" She said, hoping there was something.

"He admitted that she had been working with him all along. He also gave us some locations where he could _possibly_ be, but I also believed him when he said he had no idea where he was." Skinner said with a heavy sigh. Scully closed her eyes and tried to pull herself together.

"What do we do now?" She asked in a shaky voice.

"We are heading out to the first location now. All we can do is try Scully. I want you to come back to the office as I'm assuming you want to come with us."

"Yes Sir. Of course." She said sadly.

"I'm assuming you don't have anything?" He asked after a sad pause. She shook her head and bit her bottom lip.

"No. She's removed everything from the apartment. Like she never existed." She said with difficulty, anger raging inside her chest.

"All right. Get back here." Skinner said, then hung up.

* * *

The door opened and he heard her heeled boots clicking along the floor again and towards him. He was so tired and felt like shit. He just wanted to curl up in a ball, but the way he was bound, there was no way.

"You've come here to kick me again while I'm down?" He asked in a muffled voice. But she didn't reply. Mulder turned his head around to try and see her but he couldn't. He frowned in annoyance as he tried to get up from his awkward and painful position, but she had tied him up well. The handcuffs were so tight that he could hardly feel his fingers.

"Hey, this would be totally sexy if you weren't such a crazy bitch." He said gruffly, trying to make light of the situation.

" _Shut up_." Sophie snapped. "I brought you some water."

Mulder frowned in confusion, but he wanted the water. He was so thirsty.

"So now you're being nice to me?" He asked, immediately telling himself to shut up. But he couldn't. This was his way of dealing with difficult things, making jokes.

Suddenly Sophie was bending down next to him and grabbing him under the arm pits. She pulled him up right so that he was sitting against the wall. Mulder cried out in pain as he couldn't move and his hands and arms were so tightly bound behind him that the movement made them scape along the harsh concrete. It was awkward, he had to lean forward as he couldn't keep his back straight against the wall as his arms were in the way. Mulder frowned in pain as his body twisted and he felt the pain again in his chest where she had kicked him. He found it difficult to breathe and wondered if indeed she had cracked one of his ribs.

And then she grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, forcing him to arch backwards and look up at her. Mulder opened his mouth in shock and cried out in pain again as his muscles were pulled. He looked up at her with desperate eyes and saw that her face was stern, full of concentration.

She was like a completely different person. _He couldn't believe he had fallen for the act._

"Drink." She said harshly, then lifted a cup of water to his mouth and poured it down his throat, making him splutter slightly as it went down faster than he could swallow it. The excess water fell from his mouth and dampened his clothes.

When he had drank the whole cup, she let go of his hair, causing his head to drop down weakly, nearly into his lap. He took deep breaths and grimaced in pain and frustration. _She was a monster and he was sure now that she was going to enjoy killing him..._

"Soph-" He started breathlessly, "-Sophie… I…. I don't… I don't understand…. Why… why are you… doing this?" He managed.

She didn't answer and he closed his eyes weakly as he heard her heels clicking again as she walked over to the other side of the room. Suddenly the smell of cigarettes filled his nose as she lit one up. He coughed, the smoke making it even harder to breathe now.

"First, my name isn't Sophie." She said in a menacing tone, but she was clearly enjoying this. Mulder tried to look at her and he could just about make her out in the darkness as her cigarette lit up.

"Whatever your name is…. why…?"

"Because someone is paying me a great deal of money, that's why. And now that Jason has been caught, it's all down to me." She smiled.

"You sound very…. proud of yourself…" Mulder said in a low voice, fury running through his veins. "Scully… Scully will find me… she always does… she's going to find me…" He said weakly, reassuring himself. His heart lifted as he thought of her, trying her best to find him. He had to believe that she would find him. He had to.

"Oh I don't doubt that." Sophie said suddenly, her voice full of pleasure as she relished the words. Mulder frowned in confusion and felt dread fill his chest as he heard her tone of voice. Something wasn't right. "You see, I'm going to get here to come here." Sophie said with a large grin. Mulder felt panic wash over him. He swallowed nervously as he already knew where this was leading.

"And when she does, I'm going to kill her too."

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	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Undisclosed Location, Downtown Washington D.C. – Possible abduction site

"FBI! OPEN UP!"

Scully was behind two Agents who were up front, with Skinner and two more Agents behind her.

The Agents were SWAT. Scully was grateful for the man power. _When an Agent was missing the FBI took no chances…_

"BACK AWAY!" The Agent up front shouted as there was no answer, then they battered the door down and they all ran into the dark and unfortunately, deserted room.

Scully lowered her gun almost immediately as she knew Mulder wasn't there. She pulled off her bullet proof jacket in frustration as the other Agents searched the room, but she knew that it was useless. She ripped open the ties on the vest and threw it to the floor in one quick movement then kicked it away from her, running a nervous hand through her hair. _The damn thing had been too tight anyway._

Skinner placed a hand on her arm but she threw it off quickly, not wanting to speak to him. She didn't want sympathy, she just wanted Mulder.

"Don't…. just don't…" She snapped, raising a hand to him before he could say anything.

"It's clear – yes, clear." The Agents agreed as they finished their quick search.

 _This place was a joke._

Scully knew it.

Jason had no information, and if he did he wasn't going to give it...

Skinner tried to talk to Scully, but she was walking out of the room and back down the steps which led to the fire escape outside.

* * *

She forced the door open and stepped out onto the fire escape, the sound of the city filling her ears. Placing her hands on the railings she took deep breaths, trying to think of something.

 _She had to think of something fast or Mulder would die..._

She felt the tears threaten to fall again as she had nothing. Soon she heard Skinner entering through the door behind her. She leant forward, her eyes closed as she just wanted to be alone. But she knew that Walter Skinner was her friend, not only her boss. He wouldn't let her suffer alone like this.

"Dana.." He said in a soft, sympathetic voice. "This isn't helping. We need to go to the next site."

"This is bullshit!" She cried. "Jason has no idea where he is!"

"Look.." He said with a heavy sigh. "I know this is difficult but we have to try."

"I _can't_ do this. I can't keep running around in circles when he is quite possibly dead already." She snapped, turning on him and facing him now, her eyes glistening with angry tears. Skinner looked at her with sad eyes.

"We will find him." He said firmly. He had to believe it himself.

Scully nodded in silence, biting her bottom lip. She tired to stay positive.

But then suddenly her phone rang in her pocket. She grabbed it and looked at the number and saw it wasn't one that she recognised. Her eyes met Skinners and he frowned with confusion.

"What is it?" He asked, sensing that she felt something.

"I don't know. I don't recognise the number." She said, her heart pounding. Skinner moved towards her and looked at the screen.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

"I… I can't explain it. I think it may be Mulder." She said in a whisper, a feeling taking over her that she _had_ to answer the phone. Skinner nodded as she lifted the phone to her ear nervously.

"Hello?" She said in a small voice.

"Well, hello Scully. I think you know who this is. How are you?"

Scully felt her stomach drop to the floor as she heard Sophie's voice on the other end. She had to grab Skinner by the arm for support.

"Yes. It's _you_." She snapped. Skinner looked at her urgently. "Where is he?" She demanded angrily. "Where's Mulder!?"

"Are you alone?" Sophie asked in a threatening voice.

Scully looked at Skinner with a worried expression.

"Yes." She lied.

"Bull shit! I know you're not alone. If you lie to me again I'm gonna kill him right now." Sophie spat, her voice full of tension and conviction. Scully opened her eyes wide in shock and wanted to scream.

"NO! NO DON'T!" She shouted sadly, her blue eyes welling with tears. "I'll do whatever you want!"

"Good." Sophie said, her voice now reeking of sick pleasure. "Get in your car and drive. _Alone._ I don't want anyone to follow you, you understand?"

"Yes. I understand." Scully said in a nervous whisper. "Wait! Let me talk to him!" She shouted as she wanted proof of life.

"No Scully, you don't get to call the shots here." Sophie snapped.

"Please! I just want to know he's all right. I want proof of life dammit!" Scully demanded.

There was a silence on the other end as Sophie considered this.

"He's alive. I'll let you speak to him when you do what I say. Now get in your car and drive."

Scully opened her mouth to protest but Sophie had already hung up.

Scully stared at her phone for a moment then looked at Skinner with apologetic eyes. _She had to go._

She grabbed onto the ladder then started to climb down the fire escape, much to his surprise.

"Scully! Agent Scully what are you doing!" Skinner cried out as he tried to follow her.

"I have to go! Don't follow me! She wants me alone." Scully called up to him as she made her way to street level.

"What?! That's insane! You'll get yourself killed!" Skinner exclaimed as he jumped down after her.

"You _have_ to let me go alone!" Scully shouted over her shoulder as she ran down the side street and towards her parked car. "DON'T FOLLOW ME!"

Skinner started to run after her but then stopped. He knew that she would never forgive him if he got Mulder killed. He had to take a step back.

But he wasn't going to lose her location. He had to keep an eye on what was happening.

Sighing in defeat, he saw her run out of the side street in a blur of red hair and then out of his sight. He pulled out his own phone and called a favor.

"This is A.D. Skinner. I need immediate satellite tracking on Agent Scully's car. I want to know her location at all times." He said in a low voice. "I don't want anyone to follow her, that's a direct order. I just need to you track her location. Hurry!"

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	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Scully looked at her phone as it rang again, her heart racing in her chest uncontrollably as she picked it up quickly and raised it to her ear.

She didn't need to speak, she knew who it was.

"Head West. Don't stop."

Sophie's voice was firm and menacing. Scully wanted to kill her, she wanted to fire her gun into her heart and watch her bleed to death.

And Scully was a kind, reasonable person, but when it came to Mulder - _she would do anything to save him..._

"Let me speak to Mulder." Scully demanded as she sharply turned left.

"You'll see him when you get here."

"No. I want to speak to him _right_ now Sophie!" Scully snapped.

"You don't get to call the shots here, Agent Scully!" Sophie shouted.

Scully froze, desperately trying to hold her tongue. She knew that if she annoyed Sophie too much, she would kill Mulder. She had to try and keep calm.

"All… all right." Scully said, trembling with anger.

"Drive West out of the city. I'll call you when I have further instructions."

"Where am I going!?" Scully asked in surprise, then to her annoyance and frustration, the line went dead. She opened her mouth in shock, seeing that she had hung up on her. Scully took a deep breath then placed her phone down on the passenger seat. She kept her eyes on the road ahead and tried to steady her beating heart.

* * *

As she made it out of the city and onto the freeway, she fought back tears as she thought of Mulder. She didn't want to think of what Sophie was doing to him. She just hoped that she hadn't killed him yet, her heart couldn't take the pain of losing him. He was her life, her partner, her best friend. She loved him, so incredibly much that it took her breath away sometimes. She wanted to pull him into her arms and hold him and tell him that he was safe. She just prayed that she would get the chance to do that before it was too late...

Of course, she knew in the back of her mind that this was a trap. Sophie wanted them both dead, and Scully was walking right into it. But she couldn't just leave him.

 _She couldn't…_

She loved him.

* * *

 **Three 1/2 Hours Later**

Scully was resting her left elbow on the window, her thumb nail in her mouth as she bit it nervously. She blinked, her eyes getting heavy with exhaustion from the monotonous drive. She was getting very frustrated, she just wanted to know where Mulder was.

She had to find him.. she wanted Sophie to call her, as much as it surprised her to think – as she couldn't stand the sound of her _god damn voice…_

Just on cue, she rang again.

Scully grabbed the phone and pulled it to her ear.

"Next left, take the exit."

Scully let out a nervous breath and signaled to leave the freeway.

She glanced at her free hand on the steering wheel and saw that the rage and anger inside her was starting to make her shake.

"Let me talk to him." Scully said, her voice wavering slightly.

"Not long now. You'll get to see him when you are here."

"I _need_ to know that he is ok..." Scully begged, the tears blinding her vision again as she felt her heart ache painfully.

"Next right." Sophie said firmly, ignoring her. "Then down the lane, it's the house at the end."

"Dammit Sophie! I want to speak to my partner!" Scully shouted, but again, Sophie hung up on her. "Mother fu-!" She started to curse then threw her phone down onto the passenger seat again, this time making it bounce off and onto the floor of the car.

After she turned right she slammed her foot down on the accelerator in anger and sped towards the house that she could see at the end of the lane. This area was deserted, there was no other houses.

As she spun the car to a skidding stop, she opened the door and climbed out quickly, grabbing her phone again and checking the clip in her gun. She clicked it into place then made her way towards the front door, holding it at the ready.

* * *

The house was terribly run down and there were weeds and black mould everywhere.

Scully stepped onto the front porch, her heeled feet sinking down into the rotting wood. She frowned in concentration as she slowly reached for the door handle, wondering what horrors were going to lie in store for her. She didn't even know if this was the last few breaths she would ever take… or if Sophie was going to string this along for a while. But she knew that she would die for Mulder, and that she had to at least try to save him.

 _That was her job after all, as his FBI partner._

She let out a nervous breath then was surprised as the door swung open as soon as she touched the door handle. It creaked loudly and she saw a dark room ahead of her. She couldn't see anyone.

"Mulder?" She called out in a worried tone.

"Scully!"

She gasped and tears rushed to her eyes again as she heard his voice. Running towards the sound of his voice she frantically tried to find him.

She didn't even think about the danger that she was in, she just needed to find Mulder.

But she couldn't find him, _there was no sign of him._

"Mulder!?" She called out again, moving around the deserted house and finding nothing. She saw a door and she ran for it, grabbing onto the door handle and pulling it hard, but it was locked.

"Scully!" He shouted again, sounding weaker this time. He was definitely behind this door.

Scully cried out in frustration and fear as she struggled with the door, frantically trying to open it. Finally, she shot at the door handle and then kicked it open with her foot and the door swung open quickly, slamming against the wall.

She realized now that this was the basement.

"Mulder? Hold on Mulder! I'm coming!" She said breathlessly, making her way down the steps and into the cold, damp basement. She kept her gun at the ready, her eyes scanning the area as much as she could, but it was dark and she could hardly see, she didn't have her flashlight with her.

 _Now she wished she had kept on her bullet proof vest…_

Suddenly she cried out in shock as she fell, her heels slipping on the damp stairs. Scully reached out for something, anything she could, but it was useless. She tumbled down the hard steps, banging and bruising her body as she did.

"Uuugh!" She moaned as she landed on her front, into a pile of dirt and dust, face down at the bottom of the stairs. But she managed to keep hold of her gun, she wasn't going to let that go.

For a few seconds she struggled to get upright as her head was spinning, but she let out a cough and managed to scramble to her feet, holding her gun ahead of her again.

"Mulder?!" She called out again, her voice echoing around the cold basement.

"Scully… _Scully_ …"

She heard him saying her name weakly, then she finally could make out his shadow, just through another door which was open. She gasped in shock and worry as she saw him, slumped over his knees with his hands tied behind his back.

"Mulder!" She breathed as she ran towards him, her heels clipping on the floor. As she entered the room she saw it was dark and dank. _She couldn't believe he had been cooped up in here all this time.._ "Mulder! Thank god! You're all right.."

"Scully… you have to get out of here…" Mulder cut in weakly.

But Scully wasn't going to leave him, of course not.

"Mulder... it's all right. I'm here." She said softly, bending down to his level and raising her hand to his forehead and checking him over. "You're stone cold.."

As she brushed away his hair from his eyes and checked for any bruising or blood, her heart raced in her chest with worry. But she had to keep calm for him.

"My ribs Scully, I think she broke my damn ribs…" He grimaced, his voice full of frustration.

Scully frowned with heavy concern and cupped his face in her hands. She brought his eyes round to meet hers, trying to reassure him that he wasn't alone. Stroking his cheek with her thumb she forced a smile, trying to cheer him up. His brown eyes bore into hers and she felt her stomach flip with butterflies. But he looked so weak and helpless, _she couldn't stand seeing him like this…_

"You're going to be ok." She soothed, then quickly went to work on the ties around his ankles, trying to ease his suffering. She could tell that his muscles had been stretched and pulled.

"Scully, you need to get out of here. It's a trap."

"I know Mulder. I know it's a trap. She led me here." She said in a soft voice. She knew that Mulder would be taken aback but not completely surprised by her actions. "You would have done the same for me." She whispered, raising her hand to his arm and pushing him forward gently. He grunted in pain but she had to free him.

But then she saw the handcuffs. She sighed sadly as she knew she wouldn't be able to get him out of them...

"Scully… you… but _why_?" He asked in confusion.

Raising her hand to his face again she cupped it gently, looking into his eyes lovingly. Her face was so close to his now, their noses almost touching.

"Do you really need to ask me that question Mulder?" She whispered tenderly, wrapping her hand further around his neck and stroking her fingers through the back of his hair in an effort to comfort him.

She could feel his breath on her lips and she felt the butterflies in her stomach again. Even though they were in grave danger, she was so glad that she had found him, to be able to have this moment with him. She loved him and she couldn't have lived with herself if he had died and she hadn't even tried to do anything about it…

Suddenly there were heavy footsteps behind them and Mulder looked into her eyes, his wide and urgent.

Scully knew exactly what was happening.

"It's all right." She whispered to him gently.

Feeling the anger raging in her veins as she slowly pulled away from Mulder, her hand reached for her gun by her side again and her grip tightened around the handle. She raised her eyes to Sophie, sending her daggers. She slowly rose to her feet as Sophie watched her in amusement, thinking that she had the upper hand.

"Agent Scully, what a nice surprise. To be honest, I'm surprised that you aren't more intelligent than this. I mean, you've walked right into your own death trap."

"Let us go." Scully said, her voice threatening and low. She was may be in a dire situation but she was strong and she was a good Agent. She could save them both. _She had to at least try…_

"I can't do that." Sophie smirked, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the door frame.

"This doesn't have to end badly. You can stop this now, just please, don't hurt him." Scully begged, her voice wavering slightly as the thought her hurting Mulder again was too much for her.

"Well isn't this beautiful." Sophie said mockingly.

"I mean it…" Scully started, her gun trembling slightly as she aimed it at Sophie.

"I can't let you go and you know that." Sophie said with a smile, clearly finding this amusing.

"What do you want from us?" Scully asked, her voice wavering with hot tears as she worried for Mulder's life. "Why are you doing this!?"

"Because I'm getting paid a lot of money."

"We can get you money, we can get you the help you need. If you kill us you will go to prison for the rest of your life. You know that."

"Oh please, spare me the bullshit. You walked into this Dana, there's nothing you can do to stop it."

"Then-" Scully started, a single tear now running down her face, "-take me… and let Mulder go."

* * *

Sophie's eyes widened in amusement as she heard this. Had she really just offered her life for his?

"No! No Scully!" Mulder cried out in shock.

"You've hurt him already. Take me, and I promise you can do whatever you want." Scully said, her heart pounding in her ears.

 _She had noticed that Sophie didn't have a gun._

Sophie cocked her head in amusement and took a few steps further towards her.

"I knew you loved him. It's written all over your stupid face." Sophie said.

"I- I do." Scully whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks now as she kept her gun steady on Sophie. She was very aware that Mulder had just heard her say this. But she didn't have time to think about that now...

"I was right all along." Sophie smirked, but Scully could see that her eyes were full of rage and jealousy.

" _You were_." Scully said.

Then Sophie lunged for her, punching her across the face. Scully fired her gun instinctively as Sophie hit her, but it fired into the wall.

But she didn't drop it.

"SCULLY!"

She heard Mulder calling her name with worry, just as she staggered on her feet after Sophie hit her across the face. Scully ignored the pain and swung her gun back towards Sophie, trying to hit her now, but Sophie blocked her arm and grabbed it tight.

Sophie's eyes beared into Scully's madly.

"It's not too late to give up." Scully snarled breathlessly. If she could just get her off guard she could shoot her. "Mulder never loved you Sophie. _No one_ ever loves a murderer..."

"Shut up!" Sophie cried out and let go of Scully to swing for her again, but Scully fired her gun as soon as she could, firing it in Sophie's direction. She fired five rounds, hoping that she had hit her at least once.

There was a sudden silence and all she could hear was the sound of Mulder's heavy breathing. Scully paused for a moment, holding her gun in the darkness. She couldn't see Sophie.

"Nice shot."

Mulder's voice came from behind her, weak and tired. Scully lowered her eyes towards the dark corner of the room and sure enough, she saw Sophie laid down on the floor in a heap, blood pouring from her belly. She edged towards her then checked er pockets for the keys to Mulders cuffs. She eventually found them.

 _She looked dead enough._

As she let out a breath of relief she rushed back towards Mulder and knelt down next to him, releasing his hands from the tight handcuffs. Mulder was looking at her as if he was transfixed. She knew it was probably because of what she had just admitted, but she didn't have time to talk about it right now, and she wasn't going to be ashamed or embarrassed. It actually felt as if a weight had been lifted off her heart...

May be Mulder would never bring it up again, _who knew._

But right now her priority was getting Mulder out of here.

"We gotta get out of here Mulder, can you get up?" Scully asked gently, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

Mulder nodded weakly as she helped pull him to his feet. He grimaced in pain at the movement but she wanted to get him out of this cold, smelly basement as quick as possible.

"I'm assuming Skinner knows where we are." Scully said to him as he leant against her to support his weight. "I told him not to follow me but I think he probably tracked my car."

Mulder was silent and she found this slightly worrying as he was usually cracking jokes in these nervous situations. She knew he was finding it hard to breathe and she was worried about his ribs. A broken rib could puncture a lung and cause it to collapse. She didn't know if he had broken a lower or middle rib, she hadn't had time to examine him fully...

Scully frowned with sympathy as she helped him up the steps slowly. She knew that he must be incredibly confused and upset by what had happened.

"I got you." Scully said gently as the reached the top of the staircase. She led him out of the house and then laid him down on the grass outside. She was relieved to get out of there. But he was struggling to catch his breath. "Mulder don't panic, it'll make it worse."

She held onto his hand tightly and looked down at him with concern as she dug into her jacket pocket to find her phone to call Skinner.

* * *

Mulder was slipping in and out of consciousness as Scully laid him down on the damp grass. He tried to stay awake and he felt her take his hand in hers. She was talking to Skinner on the phone, but her voice was mumbled and incoherent to him... _but just the sound of it was so comforting.._

He was eternally grateful and overwhelmed that she had risked her life for his and had even offered to _die_ for him...

And he couldn't get the fact that she had told Sophie that she _loved_ him out of his head.

It was almost as if he was dreaming. He had never expected this, not from Scully.

But he wasn't sure if she had just said it to get a reaction from Sophie...

He looked up again at her beautiful face which was now bruised thanks to him and felt a pang of guilt. He hated being the cause of Scully's pain, but he also knew that he would have done the same for her... she was right about that.

He made an effort to squeeze her hand back and he couldn't help but smile a little as she must have felt it, as she looked down at him lovingly.

 _He was in safe hands now..._

* * *

 **xxxx**

 **More to come..**

 **Please review x**


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Scully looked down at Mulder and to her horror, noticed that he had drifted into unconsciousness.

"Mulder?" She asked him, placing her hand on his cheek and looking down at him with worry, her blue eyes full of emotion. "Mulder? Can you hear me!?"

She shook him gently, trying to wake him up, but it was no use. _He had slipped away._

Skinner had answered the phone, they were on their way.

But she needed to keep him warm and safe. She had to do _something…_

"Mulder please, please wake up…" She said softly, pleading him with her eyes.

 _But his were closed,_ there was no use.

She fought back tears as she looked at her car, trying to work out if she could lift him into the back seat or not. He was nearly twice her weight, and she was strong, of course she was. But not _that_ strong…

She dialled Skinner again sadly, biting her bottom lip as the tears started roll down her cheek, worry taking over her. She was exhausted, and she had to get Mulder to safety. She could drag him towards the car, she could at least do that..

"Sir? Sir it's Scully. How long!? Mulder needs help…" She asked frantically.

"I'm sending a team and an ambulance should be with you in about ten minutes." Skinner said.

She breathed a sigh of relief, that was not too long. She could cope with that...

"Thank you Sir, the quicker the better." She said breathlessly, dropping her phone back in her pocket and lifting Mulder into her embrace. She pulled him by the underarms towards the shelter of the car and opened the back door, trying to lift him inside.

But just as she started to lift him, she felt a prickling feeling at the back of her neck as if someone was behind her. She froze for a moment, unsure of what to think. She had _killed_ Sophie, she was sure of it. _Or had she?_ She hadn't checked her pulse..

She cursed under her breath and closed her eyes in desperation, hoping and praying that Sophie wasn't still alive.

But suddenly there were gun shots, firing all around her. They smashed into the car door and into the front bonnet. She cried out in terror and in a moment of pure adrenaline, she heaved Mulder into the back of the car and laid him down across the seats. Crouching down desperately trying to hide, she scrambled for her gun in her jacket and held it ahead of her, waiting for Sophie to show herself.

Her immediate thought was that she needed to get in the front seat and drive them out of here...

She waited in silence, her heart beating faster and faster. Holding her gun tight, she felt beads of nervous sweat appear on her brow.

"It's over!" She called out to Sophie, unable to control herself. The passenger door was still wide open and Mulder was laid next to her as she crouched behind the front seat, down in the foot well.

There was no response.

She wondered if Sophie had may be collapsed, the firing of her gun had been the last effort to kill them both. _But Scully didn't have time to think about it._

She reached over and grabbed the door handle to the passenger side and slammed it shut, just as she saw Sophie's face appear in the window, her eyes sending a chill down her spine as she saw how crazy she looked, like a psychopath. Her eyes were dead, lifeless. There was no humanity in her stare. Scully shouted out in fear as Sophie slammed her hands against the car window with a loud bang. Blood was pooling from her mouth and she was barely able to stand, but she was there, standing in front of her, glaring into her soul…

Scully fired her gun.

The bullet smashed through the window and hit Sophie between the eyes.

Her body slumped down onto the ground with a sickening thud. And then there was the silence again...

* * *

Scully could only hear the sound of her own breathing, heavily and laboured. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt slightly faint.

 _Was it over?_

Yes. She was sure she had just killed Sophie, for good.

As she pushed herself up from the foot well, she heard Mulder's groans of confusion from next to her. She turned to him quickly, tears stinging her eyes again as she saw he was coming around. Her face erupted in a huge smile of relief and after throwing her gun into the front seat, she placed her hands on either cheek, cupping his face. Looking down at him as his eyes fluttered open, she guided him until they finally laid on hers. To her happiness, he smiled back at her weakly.

"Mulder, it's ok." She breathed.

"Scu- Scully… what's going on?" He asked in confusion, his voice hoarse. Scully frowned with concern and ran a hand through his hair in an effort to comfort him.

"We're getting out of here, that's what's going on." She said firmly, then leant down closed to him. He closed his eyes weakly and she could tell that he was disorientated. "It's all right." She soothed again, then without thinking, placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

* * *

Mulder let out a long breath as he felt her lips on his skin. He instantly felt comforted and secure. He was struggling to remember what was happening, had they got away yet? He couldn't remember. He knew that he had just passed out, his breathing was so painful and he was struggling to get enough oxygen. But at least he knew Scully would look after him.

* * *

She quickly got out of the back seat and as she stepped out of the car, she looked down and saw the dead body of Sophie, lying just beneath her feet. She felt sick as she saw her, the blood pooling from her head and seeping into the ground.

She had done that, _she had killed her._

But she pushed the negative thoughts from her mind as she knew she had had no choice.

But her heart was aching with worry as she needed to save Mulder. She couldn't wait for the ambulance or the rescue team. She had to get them out of here.

Scully climbed into the front seat and started the engine, then rammed her foot down on the pedals as she turned the car around quickly, the tyres skidding in the wet grass. Scully checked Mulder in the rear view mirror as she drove, her stomach in knots with worry as he lay across the seat weakly. She knew that he was struggling with his breathing and she knew now that it must be because of his broken ribs.

As she exited the lane and started to make her way back to the highway, she heard a siren and saw blue lights flashing, driving towards them quickly. Scully slammed the brakes and clasped the steering wheel as she felt the adrenaline flowing from her body as the ambulance stopped next to her. Three paramedics jumped out, running towards them.

She felt everything go into slow motion as they came nearer, their faces full of determination as they saw her through the windows of the car. She knew now that she had done enough, she had saved Mulder and now they could do the rest...

She turned back to Mulder with worry and she saw him grimacing in pain. Opening the car door she jumped out, straight into the arms of a paramedic, who was immediately telling her that it was ok, and that she was safe now… but she was shouting to him about Mulder, and that he had broken ribs and possibly a punctured lung, and that she wanted to ride with him in the ambulance...

She had to ride with him, she demanded. _She was his partner._

But she needn't have asked, as they were happy to let her go with Mulder.

"Thank you." She said, tears streaming from her eyes again.

 _She didn't even notice that she was crying._

"Scu… Scully?"

She heard Mulder's heart wrenching call from behind. Scully turned and rushed towards him as they lifted him onto a stretcher. As they pushed him towards the ambulance she reached her hand out and linked her fingers through his, squeezing his hand tightly

"Its ok, I'm here Mulder. We're going to the hospital." She said to him firmly but gently, and he seemed to relax as soon as he heard her voice.

They climbed into the ambulance and Scully helped them hoist Mulder up, just as she heard more sirens filling her ear drums.

She looked out of the window to see the blacked out windows of government vehicles racing past.

 _The team had arrived._

 _And what a sorry mess they were about to encounter.._

Scully sighed and focused her attention back on Mulder as the paramedics were placing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. Her heart hurt to see him like this. All she wanted was for him to be ok…

"Let's go!" One of the paramedics said as they banged the back door of the ambulance after it was slammed shut.

And soon they were on their way towards the hospital. Scully kept her hand wrapped tightly around Mulder's all the way, not taking her worried eyes off him for a second.

* * *

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 _ **XxX Mulder and Scully forever :)** _


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

 _"This is Agent Mulder with the FBI, he's got a possible collapsed lung due to a broken rib.."_

Mulder felt his body being pushed along on the gurney and heard the paramedic's voice above him.

He tried to focus on Scully's warm hand around his own, but it was difficult, seeing as he was struggling to breathe and remain conscious.

But her presence was making him feel safe and secure, and he didn't want to lose sight of her. He blinked as the harsh hospital lighting filled his vision, making his eyes water slightly. He had been in that dark basement for so long that any artificial light was a shock to the system.

 _"Scu.. Scully…"_ He gasped weakly.

"I'm here Mulder." He heard reply gently.

He immediately felt relieved but knew that she wouldn't be able to stay with him for long. He was really struggling to breathe and he knew they would have to work on him. There was only so far an FBI partner could go. She wasn't family, but may be she would assert herself as his Doctor? He wasn't sure. She did that sometimes, which he loved about her.

He frowned in thought as he wondered which hospital they were at. He had no idea where he was. This definitely wasn't Washington, they were too far out for that.

 _"One, two, three… lift!"_

He found himself being lifted in the air, off the stretcher and onto a hospital bed. His vision swayed again, but he could just make out the colour of her red hair, above him. He was once again relieved that she was still close by. But then the stabbing, searing pain in his chest started. He gasped in agony as he tried to breathe, but that just made the pain so much worse..

 _"We need to treat this now! Syringe!"_

He heard the Doctor's voice as he fought to catch his breath. He couldn't talk and he assumed Scully was still there beside him, but he couldn't be sure..

* * *

Scully was holding Mulder's hand tight and looking down at him with great concern as he seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Agent Scully please step aside! We need to get the air out of his chest now."

"I'm a medical doctor! I can help!" She exclaimed, her eyes widening in horror as he quickly went downhill.

"All due respect Mam, but this is my hospital and my patient, you have to trust me."

Scully looked into the Doctor's eyes urgently and saw that she had no choice. She needed to get out of the way or Mulder would fall into cardiac arrest. She gave in and nodded silently, then her heart ached in sadness as she had to let go of his hand and make her way out of the room.

"You're going to be ok Mulder." She said to him firmly, then placed a kiss on his forehead, before tearing herself away from his bed side.

"Get me a chest tube!" The doctor shouted to the nurses as they rushed around Mulder, frantically trying to save his life. Scully fought back tears as she moved away from him. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling and let out a long breath of air as she pushed her way through the swinging doors and into the busy hallway.

Raising a hand to her mouth to stop herself from screaming, she tried to shake the worry from her mind she focused on the positives.

Mulder was in safe hands, she knew the procedure and she knew that he was a fighter.

 _He would be fine, she was sure of it._

* * *

 **A little while later..**

Scully jumped up from her cold, plastic seat in the hallway as Mulder's doctor came out of the room, a smile on his face. Scully couldn't help but smile back in relief, her eyes brimming with happy tears.

"He's ok?" She gushed.

"He's fine. Full recovery of the lung. But he's going to have to stay in for at least a week, due to the broken ribs."

"Ribs plural?" She asked with a concerned frown.

"Three, two higher one lower." The doctor said with a sympathetic smile. Scully's cheeks flared red with fury as she thought of what that woman had done to him.

She took a deep breath and brushed an angry tear away from her eye.

"Can I see him?"

"He's very tired, exhausted in fact. May be come back in a few hours? Go home, take some rest."

Scully opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words. They were a long way from home.

"We're from Washington D.C." She managed in a hushed voice. "He will need to be transferred closer to home."

Mulder's Doctor nodded silently.

"Of course, FBI. Well, lets get some paperwork sorted while you wait." He said kindly, then motioned for Scully to walk with him towards his office. But she couldn't stop looking through the window to Mulder's room, seeing him sleeping with the monitors and breathing apparatus around him. She felt her heart call out to him, she just wanted to sit with him and hear the sound of his heartbeat, but the Doctor was right, he needed rest right now.

"All right." She said finally, pulling herself together and walking with the Doctor. "Thank you for all your help."

* * *

 **PLEASE REVIEW**

 **X**


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE**

Georgetown Memorial Hospital, Washington D.C.

Nearly two weeks had passed since Scully had found and rescued Mulder.

He had been transferred to Georgetown after a few days, then had stayed in as a precaution, just in case his lung collapsed again.

 _But, it hadn't, and now it was time to go home._

Mulder was standing up by his hospital bed and was packing away his things - a few t-shirts and one pair of pyjamas, which Scully had brought him from home. He straightened himself up as she zipped up the bag, then winced slightly in pain as he moved a little too fast. His ribs were still very painful and not fully healed, but he couldn't wait to get out of this _hell hole..._

She suddenly appeared at the doorway, her red hair the first thing he noticed and then her smile, her beautiful smile.

Mulder smiled back at her as she peeped around the corner, then watched as she walked into the room to greet him. She brushed a piece of loose hair away from her face and he heard her heels click along the hospital floor. The sound made him feel comforted, as he had listened out for it when he had been in the hospital alone, waiting for her to visit him. He knew when he heard that sound that she was coming, and he was always so happy to see her.

Scully came to his side and he noticed that she still had her car keys in her hand. She was dressed for work and had obviously just come from the office.

He realised he had no idea what time it was but he knew it was sometime in the afternoon...

"Hey partner." She said with a playful yet affectionate smile. Mulder looked down at her and noticed how beautiful she looked. He studied her face for a moment, not knowing what to say as he gazed into her blue eyes. He felt his heart skip a beat and realized in that moment how lucky he was to have her in his life...

"Hey." He said finally. She frowned in slight concern as she noticed his delayed reaction.

"You ok?" She asked gently.

"Erm… yeh.." He said, nervously clearing his throat which he immediately regretted as it hurt like hell. "I'm good. Just looking forward to getting home."

Scully noticed him flinch slightly and she knew that he had just experienced some pain. She placed a hand on his forearm and squeezed it gently.

"Well I'm here to take you home." She said softly.

"Great, let's get out of here." Mulder said, lifting his bag but she stopped him immediately.

"No Mulder, no lifting. I've got this." She said, moving her hand which was on his arm to the handle on the bag. As she did, she brushed her hand against his as she closed her fingers around the material. They paused for a few seconds as their skin touched. Scully caught her breath and felt a flutter in her stomach, then pulled the bag away from him, her breathing returning to normal.

She looked up at him and was aware that she was possibly blushing, but Mulder was looking at her with those loving, deep brown eyes _which she could get lost in…_

"Agent Mulder, going home?"

The chirpy voice of Mulder's nurse came from the doorway, snapping them both back to reality and making them turn towards her. Scully took a step away from Mulder and started towards the door.

"Yes. Thank you for looking after me." Mulder said to her. The nurse nodded and gave him a soft smile, but Scully could smell her attraction to Mulder a mile off. She looked her over and saw she was blonde and attractive, probably Mulder's ideal woman. She forced a smile at the nurse and opened the door with Mulder following behind her.

But she wasn't that bothered by the nurse. She knew Mulder was a very attractive man and that he deserved attention from other women. _Just as long as they weren't secretly trying to kill him…_

Mulder caught up with her as she walked down the hallway towards the exit. He noticed she was walking briskly, her heeled feet clipping along loudly. He smiled to himself as he knew what had just happened there. _And it was totally adorable…_

"I think your Nurse has a crush on you." Scully quipped as they walked past reception.

"Yeah well, what can I say?" Mulder laughed, then caught her eye playfully. Scully couldn't help but grin back.

"I'm glad to see you're back to your old self Mulder."

* * *

Mulder's Apartment

Scully helped Mulder as they neared his doorway. He was struggling slightly as this was probably the first time he had been on his feet for this long since the ordeal. "You ok?" She asked softly, wrapping her arm around him as she helped support his weight.

Mulder didn't answer, clearly slightly embarrassed by his display of weakness. Scully wouldn't let him feel this way.

"Mulder don't be hard on yourself. Look, here we go." She said as she opened the door with her free hand, then pushed it open. Mulder thanked her and made his way inside. _He was so happy to be home._

She let go of him momentarily and placed his bag down in the kitchen then hurried up to him again, supporting his weight once more as they made their way into the apartment. She helped him walk towards the sofa, then sat him down carefully. He gritted his teeth in pain as the movement hurt his ribs and she looked at him with sympathetic eyes.

"I feel totally useless." He said dryly, hanging his head as he raised a hand to his chest. She stood in front of him and put her hands on her hips.

"You're not going to do anything, Doctors orders." She said firmly. Mulder raised his hands up in defeat and sunk back into the sofa and the cushions that Scully had placed behind his back to help keep him upright.

"You want some coffee? May be a glass of water?" She asked as she went back to the kitchen. Mulder grunted a frustrated yes and she smiled to herself a little. He was going to be irritable, but she was going to take care of him. He needed to rest.

"Scully? When can I go back to work?"

"When you've had a few days of rest." She called back from the kitchen as she prepared the coffee. "I'm going to cook you dinner tonight, no arguments."

Mulder was silent, clearly surprised a little at her words, but thankful. She smiled to herself again she didn't even have to look at him to know his reaction...

* * *

After she had made the coffee she walked back towards the living area and sofa, tiny as it was, with two steaming hot coffee cups in her hands.

But as she neared Mulder she saw that he had fallen asleep. Scully felt her heart ache with love for him as she watched him sleeping, his head propped up against the cushions and his face so peaceful. She smiled lovingly as she carefully sat herself down on the sofa, trying not to wake him.

She placed his cup on the coffee table and raised her own to her lips, blowing on it gently.

As she took a few sips, Scully glanced over at him and studied his handsome jawline, then his stubble which had grown slightly from his time in the hospital. He was so good looking, she had always known it, since the day they met. But now... she loved him, totally and completely.

The thought that had been invading her mind came up again - what if he remembered what she had said when she had come face to face with Sophie in that basement?

Her heart raced a little faster as she thought about the possibility of him bringing it up sometime. Would he? _Would he ask her about it?_

No, probably not. Mulder wasn't the type… and besides he had probably forgotten by now...

She sighed anxiously as she tried to push the thoughts away, concentrating on the reassuring sound of his breathing. Scully didn't want anything to come between them. She loved him, but they were professional partners and she had no idea if he felt the same way. And this wasn't just the love that she had felt for him for years, this had transformed into _real_ love. Before, she had loved him as a friend.

 _But ever since Sophie, she had realized that it was so much more than that..._

Scully bit her bottom lip as she looked at him again. She was so glad that he was safe and that he was at home, where she could look after him. After all they had been through, they deserved this quiet time.

Placing her half drank coffee down on the table, she pulled the throw which lay on her side of the sofa over her body, then gently wrapped it around Mulder's as well. Scully took pleasure in these moments, when she had the opportunity to be close to him, without any fear of objection.

Being careful not to put too much weight on him because of his injuries, she snuggled her head against his upper arm and rested against it, taking in his comforting scent. She closed her eyes as their breathing slowly came in tangent with each others.

Scully fell asleep slowly. And it was the deepest sleep she had had in weeks…

* * *

 _ **PLEASE REVIEW!**_

 _ **xXx**_

 _ **Mulder and Scully forever xxxx**_


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO**

An hour or so later..

Mulder jumped awake and felt a feeling of warmth on his left arm.

He frowned in slight confusion as he came out of his sleepy haze, the throbbing pain in his chest rearing its ugly head as he moved slightly, but he soon calmed as he turned to see Scully, sleeping against him. He smiled to himself and took a small breath of relief, looking at her sleeping soundly.

"Hey." He said gently, as she stirred.

He watched as she blinked and yawned, waking herself up from her dreams. Mulder noticed her smile - she clearly knew she had fallen asleep next to him. He felt his heart race with love for her as she sat up and turned to him, her face full of affection.

"Hey you." She said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, after that sleep." Mulder said, then reached out his hand to hers under the blanket. Scully seemed to freeze slightly as he took her hand and she searched his face. "Come here." Mulder said, his voice low and husky.

He wanted her to cuddle up to him again. _It had felt so nice to have her close._

* * *

Scully felt her heart skip a beat as he asked her to get closer to him again.

She didn't know what to say, of course she wanted to, but she hadn't expected him to say this.

"Are you all right?" She asked with concern. Mulder smiled at her reaction and pulled her towards him then wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. She frowned with slight worry. "Be careful Mulder…"

"I didn't feel a thing." He whispered into her ear.

A white lie, as it _had_ hurt, but Scully was a great comfort and she was worth the pain... He held her tight then rested his forehead against hers.

Scully couldn't breathe. He was so close, _close enough to kiss._

"Mulder…" She started breathlessly.

"Stop, just listen to me. I need… I need to tell you something…."

Scully paused, her heart now pounding in her ears in anticipation. She was almost shaking.

What was he going to say? _And why was he acting this way?_

* * *

"Oh... Ok..." She started nervously.

She could feel Mulder's breath on her lips and she shivered as he shifted slightly, pulling the arm back which had been around her shoulders and then raising it to stroke her hair behind her ear.

"I wanted to say how sorry I am, for everything that happened with Sophie, I should have listened to you.."

"No Mulder, you weren't to know. This is not your fault." She cut in, refusing to let him feel guilty or tortured about what happened.

She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand gently.

"I should have listened to you.." He carried on, "-because you were right all along. I should have trusted your judgement."

Scully swallowed nervously, remembering seeing Sophie in the hospital that night and she felt a pang of guilt. She had no proof that it really had been Sophie, but all the evidence pointed to that being the truth. She had to tell him.

"Mulder I… I have something to admit.." She said with difficulty, lowering her eyes and pulling away from him for a moment. She lifted her eyes slowly but Mulder had not let of her, and he cupped her cheek in his hand and searched her eyes.

"Whatever it is Scully, I already forgive you." Mulder said softly, noticing that she looked troubled. She bit her bottom lip and lowered her eyes again but Mulder couldn't let her be sad about this. He frowned with concern and ran his fingers down to her chin and lifted her head so that she was looking into his eyes again. "Come on, tell me."

"When I was in the hospital after being stabbed, I saw Sophie there, looking at me. She was staring at me and I… well I was worried of course, I told the nurse but she said there was no one there. I just brushed it off, thinking it was the medication I was on and because I had lost a lot of blood. But… I should have said something…"

"Scully stop." Mulder cut in, brushing away a tear with his thumb that had started to fall from her eyes. He shook his head and took a deep breath. "I understand why you didn't tell me. It's all right."

She nodded silently and sniffed away the tear, she didn't want to cry. She wanted to be strong for him. She had cried enough in the past few weeks.

"I just want to put this all behind us Mulder." Scully said in a whisper, her heart aching again with love and passion. _He was close enough to kiss._ She licked her lips and imagined kissing him, tumbling into pure ecstasy.

There was a silence between them as they looked into each others eyes, not needing to speak.

They always knew what each other was thinking. That was the beauty of their connection.

"Scully?"

Mulder spoke finally.

"Yes?" She asked gently.

"When you came to save me…" He started nervously, a small smile creeping up this lips. Scully felt her heart skip a beat as she knew exactly what was coming. "..you said something to Sophie which I will never forget…" He asked, treading around the subject carefully. Scully held her breath as she looked into his brown eyes, considering her next move.

"What did I say?" She asked in a soft voice, hardly getting the words out.

 _She wanted to hear it from Mulder._ Just to make sure they were on the same page.

He paused, then Scully felt her stomach flip into her chest as he ran his thumb over her lips. She could have fainted there and then, the touch was so gentle and tender. She tried to keep herself together but it was difficult. Her body was aching for him and she was dying to kiss him.

Without thinking she kissed his thumb and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation...

"You said that you loved me."

She kept her eyes closed, a smile creeping up her own lips now as her heart raced nervously. Her body was tingling all over.

She was so worried that when she opened her eyes Mulder would be looking at her differently, with resentment may be? _She couldn't bear it…_

But she needn't have worried, as she suddenly felt his breath on her lips again and then his lips touched hers.

Scully opened her eyes in surprise and felt her cheeks blushing furiously as she slowly realized what was happening.

 _Mulder was kissing her..._

But she was quick to respond, closing her eyes again in passion as she kissed him back deeply, falling into total bliss. Her whole body was responding to him and she felt as if she was on fire, a glorious, wonderful burn of love and passion erupting over her whole body.

And Mulder was not holding back, kissing her firmly, enjoying the feeling of her soft lips.

Finally she gasped for air and pulled back, catching sight of the expression on his face.

He looked happy, he looked _so_ happy.

 ** _Thank god._**

"Oh Scully, I love you. Always have, always will." He breathed passionately, still cradling her face in his hand. She smiled and then lifted her hand which was linked through his under the blanket to his neck, tenderly stroking it and then lifting it to his face and running her fingers over his stubble and jawline. She felt as if she was in a dream, as if this was not really happening..

But it was.

 _It really was happening._

She looked into his brown eyes and just saw _love._

 _Pure, whole, complete and utter love._

"I know…" She blurted out happily.

"I mean it. I love you so much Scully."

He smiled at her lovingly and ran her beautiful red hair through his fingers. Scully closed her eyes as it felt so good.

"Stop talking… Just kiss me again Mulder..."

Mulder chuckled happily then pulled her towards him again and they kissed deeply, not letting each other go.

 **THE ... END..**

* * *

 ** _PLEASE REVIEW!_**

 ** _Thank you for reading and reviewing, I don't usually take it all the way, but I felt like doing so this time._**

 ** _Please keep your eyes out for my next fic.. which may happen pretty soon!_**

 ** _xxx Thank you again and love you all xxx_**

 ** _Mulder and Scully Forever xxx_**


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